Scientific Instruments

Timeline

Each dated object sits at its year, in the row for the question it answered. Tap one to open it.

130013501400145015001550160016501700175018001850190019502000Where am I?What time is it?Where are the stars?How much?What can't the eye see?What is the weather doing?How do I draw it?What is the electricity doing?English Planispheric Astrolabe, 1300Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1372Italian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1475Planispheric Astrolabe Engraved with Arabic Script, 1504Hartman's Planispheric Astrolabe, 1537European Planispheric Astrolabe, 1542French Planispheric Astrolabe, 1548Planispheric Astrolabe Similar in Style to Those of Egnazio Danti, 1580Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1611Indo-Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1643Indo-Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1659Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1682Planispheric Astrolabe from Muslim Spain, 1691Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1715Microscope, 1730Portable Equatorial, 1748Sundial, 1750Microscope, 1750Persian Planispheric Astrolabe, 1775Spy Glass, 1775Celestial Planisphere Called Astrolabe for Latitude 41, 1780Beam Balance, 1780Surveyor's Vernier Compass, 1785Pocket compass from the Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804-1806, 1804Balance, 1807box chronometer movement, 1810James Wilson's Terrestrial Globe, 1811, 1811Bond Marine Chronometer, 1812Thomas Arithmometer, 1820Microscope, Lerebours, 1829Hair Hygrometer, 1829Polariscope, 1830Heliostat, 1830Daniell Hygrometer, 1831Polariscope, 1834Solar Microscope, 1840Melloni Bench, 1840Solar Compass, 1845Grunow Spherometer, 1849Patent Model for Circular Slide Rule Invented by John W. Nystrom, 1851Hatfield Machine for Adding Numbers, 1854Sextant, 1856Equatorial Sextant, 1856Hill Arithmometer, 1857William W. Wythes Cyclo-Ellipto-Pantograph Patent Model, 1858Burns Addometer, 1858Spectroscope, 1862Patent Model for Triangular Drafting Scale Invented by Josiah Lyman, 1863Liquid Compass, 1863Chronograph, 1868Rotating Mathematical Table, Sinclair's Freight Computer, 1869Barbour Calculating Machine Model, 1872Spectroscope, 1873Spectrometer, 1873Winlock & Huddleston Psychrometer, 1873Baldwin Arithmometer, 1874Patent Model for Estimator Slide Rule Invented by Fredric Maurice Stapff, 1874Barbour Calculating Machine, 1875Baldwin Calculating Engine, 1875Patent Model for Parallel Rule and T-Square by Eugene Towne, 1877Jamin Apparatus, 1879Projection Polariscope, 1880Leyden Jar Battery, 1880Dry Card Compass with Binnacle, 1880Log and Rotor, Patent Model, 1881Patent Model for Simplex Slide Rule Clasp Invented by Rudolph C. Smith, 1887Comptometer, 1887Microscope, 1890Keuffel & Esser 1741 Thacher Cylindrical Slide Rule, 1895Odhner Arithmometer, 1896Heliostat, 1900Elliptic Trammel, 1900Peerless hanging letter scale, 1900Odometer by J. D. Roberts, 1900Fessenden electrolytic radio signal detector, 1903Triner postal scale, 1912Ski-Optometer (Woolf Phoropter), 1913Plotter, Drift, 1918Sextant, Brandis, with Willson Bubble Telescope, Early, 1919Recorder, Air Distance, 1922Receiver, Radio Range, ARC, Lab Prototype, Model B, 1929Sight, Drift & Ground Speed, Gatty, 1931Watches, Army Air Corps, Avigation [Air Navigation], A-6, 1934Circular Slide Rule, William J. Powell, 1935Dead Reckoning, E-6B, Prototype, 1942Plotting Board, Navy, Mark 3A, 1942Indicator, Carbon Monoxide, 1943Libby Low Level Counter, 1950Pickett N600-ES Log Log Duplex Slide Rule, 1962Civil Defense radiation dosage calculator, 1963Civil Defense pocket dosimeter, 1963

91 dated objects on the axis. 20 have no single year in their records and are listed below.

Projection Polariscopelate nineteenth century · Parispolariscopelate 19th century · PhiladelphiaVibration MicroscopeParisSurveyor's CompassTroySurveyor's Vernier CompassTroyVernier Compass with TelescopeTroySurveyor's CompassWoodstockOctantmid 19th century · New York CityGeneral Radio type 726-A vacuum tube voltmeterTerrasphereWheastone BridgeBalanceNurembergSteelyard17th centuryPyrometerLondonSun Compass, BumsteadSlide Rule, Chemical, Sally RideVoltmeter / Ammeter, E-1BarographSundial compasslate 17th–early 18th centuryTraveling sundial and compassearly–mid-18th century