INVENTION 1: Paper
Back then, people wrote on silk cloth or bamboo. But silk was
expensive, and bamboo was heavy and hard to carry around.
Our story unfolds over 1,900 years ago in China …
Sorry! I can't
spare any
silk today!
Quick! I need to
write down my
great idea. Got
any silk?
One day, Cai Lun, a Chinese court official,
was inspired by the sight of wasps making
a nest.
Oh, I see!
The wasps
collect wood
fibres and
break them
down with
their saliva.
I have an
idea!
He mixed together tree bark, old rags,
hemp fibres, fishing nets and water.
Just like wasps,
I'm mixing these
ingredients to
make a pulp.
Next, Cai Lun spread a thin layer of the
mixture on cloth. After the water drained and
the mixture dried, he had paper!
Wow, it
worked!
Now I can
write down
my idea!
Cai Lun told the emperor about his
discovery, who praised him for his genius!
Cai Lun is
number one!
Once people knew how to make paper, they
were able to invent other things, like the books
and magazines we read today!
10 Chickadee
