The East, especially the cultures of Persia, China and India, had monumental influences on past and present world generations. If we look at just some of their inventions, it is not difficult to understand why. The Four Great Inventions of ancient China were paper, the compass, gunpowder and printing. Amongst the many others were dry docks, cast iron, the plough, the suspension bridge, the parachute, natural gas, the propeller, and the crossbow. When it came to the stars above, it was in fact Chinese astronomers who first recorded observing a supernova.

If it were not for some of the ancient civilizations of the Near East, such as Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, and Turkey, to name just a few, our modern day studies into the past would be obviously less significant than what they actually created. Egyptology and archeology would certainly not be as pronounced as they are. As for some other regions such as China and India, if they were not so adapt at keeping such detailed and historical records of their pasts, many cultural beliefs would never have perpetuated into what they came to be!

Some of the greatest Indian thinkers made sense of unknown mathematical theories, so it is appropriate that the use of the decimal we use today originated from India. They also worked out what gravity was, and discovered that the Sun was actually a star. India is in fact the birthplace of many formula based practices such as physics and medicine. The first surgery was understood to have been performed in India, and their ancient records showed they made great advancements for their time in regard to medical science. It is also widely believed that the great thinking game of Chess originated in India.

The East also gave us understandings of herbal formulas, acupuncture techniques, as well as discovering other useful medical drugs, such as adrenaline and Vitamin B1. The Eastern cultures also introduced us to such inventions as fireworks, cards, paper money, the abacus, spaghetti, the saddle, the toothbrush, and whiskey and brandy. Not bad for such ancient cultures which were later looked upon as the secondary and 'Oriental' cultures by the West.

eastern beliefs