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Many people and many things have taken massive journeys through time - if you look at some of the videos and information here, you can see how much everyday objects have changed since they were invented.

When we talk about journeys and time, we can look back at how things have changed and we can look forward to see what we think they will look like in the future.

We can think about the inventors, the people with curious minds and how they went about creating new ideas from old.

It's so amazing to learn about how much human need, inventiveness and technology has changed things, isn't it?!

If you choose to investigate a 'time' journey, you can use an idea from here, or you can come up with your own idea!  Think about the inventors, the technology, the need - why did it change?, the process the inventor went through, the character strengths the inventor must have had,  how do you think it will change in the future?

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This site is a little clunky, but it shows how even medicine has changed over time! At the moment, scientists are working really hard to create a new vaccine - for Covid-19! We can see how need is often at the basis of new inventions.

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The ancient Egyptians had an elaborate medical system that was initially built on magical traditions, but later became more scientific.

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More History of Medicine - Horrible Histories

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More History of Medicine - Horrible Histories

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How weird were some of these ideas?

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Horrible Histories - Historical Paramedics: Medieval Paramedics | Measly Middle Ages

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Lots of words have evolved or changed over time, or sound like modern words, when in fact they have been around for a long time! Look at the timeline of the word ALGORITHM! It sounds like a word from today related to maths and digital technologies - look how algorithms have been used through time :)

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03140977 - challenge pin

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Join a game of kahoot here. Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn - any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

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Before modern communication methods, smoke signals were a way of sending simple messages.  Have a read about them here.

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In westerns, filmmakers portrayed Native Americans as master communicators with smoke signals. They would send complex messages in an unknown code like a shape-shifting alphabet seen from above. While this made for interesting movies, the reality of how smoke signals were used isn't as complex. They were simple messaging systems used to send basic transmissions over long distances.

The one drawback of using smoke signals is that the enemy could also see them. For this reason, there wasn't a set code for transmissions, and each tribe had its own system. The meaning of the message was predetermined and only known to the sender and receiver of the signal. A tribe might send a message that the enemy was near or that sickness had fallen over the camp. They would also commonly use the signals to announce the outcome of battle or to call for reinforcements. In order to send signals over greater distances, tribes would set up a chain of fires to relay the message from one to the next.

Native Americans weren't the only people who used smoke signals to communicate. Chinese soldiers stationed along the Great Wall of China used smoke signals to convey messages of impending attack from one watchtower to the next. They used a mixture of wolf dung, saltpeter and sulfur to create dense smoke that's easily seen from a distance. By passing the message from tower to tower, they were able to relay a communiqué as far as 300 miles in only a few hours.

Even though two-way radios and emergency beacons have rendered smoke signals a thing of the past, The Boy Scouts of America still teaches smoke signaling. They tell their scouts to send an emergency signal of three puffs of smoke to indicate that they're in trouble in the wilderness. The reason for this is best stated in the Boy Scout motto -- "Be Prepared." You never know when something might happen to leave you lost and stranded in the woods. No one ever plans on it. Being prepared and knowing how to send a signal for safety is a good idea for any outdoor enthusiast, not just Boy Scouts.

In this article, we'll look at what kinds of messages were sent using smoke signals, as well as how to do it yourself.

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You may associate smoke signals with Native Americans in old Westerns, but they aren't totally a thing of the past. Find out why the Boy Scouts still teach kids how to make them -- and how you can send some yourself.

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Drawings made over 40, 000 years ago as a form of communication, help us understand how our ancestors lived. Pretty interesting!

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Did you know that Maori Language used to be only spoken?

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Language. It's such an integral part of life and yet we often overlook its importance. Especially when it comes to its cultural significance. New Zealand has three official languages - English, New Zealand Sign Language and Te Reo Māori (the Māori language).
Te Reo is a stunning, poetic language - and its history equally as fascinating...
What is Te Reo Māori?

Te Reo Māori is the native language of New Zealand. It is spoken by the native Māori people and is used to express their culture, heritage and identity. Both Māori and Pakeha (Europeans) use Te Reo Māori. Because of this, Te Reo names many of New Zealand's major cities and landmarks.

Where did Te Reo originate?

There is much debate over the origins of Māori people. Many believe they descended from an island named Hawaiki. Though it's no longer in its physical form - some believe it is the homeland of all Pacific Islanders. The different cultures migrated to different islands - but the language similarities remained. Cook Island Māori, Tahitian and Tuamotuan languages are closely related to Te Reo. The pronunciation also similarly relates to the Samoan and Tongan languages!

How was ancient Te Reo recorded?

Te Reo Māōri was the only language in New Zealand until the 19th century. There was no written word; therefore, they communicated through symbolism. The detailing in carvings, knots and weavings were the way Māori recorded stories; while traditional songs and dances shared the myths and folklore of their ancestors.

In 1814, the European missionaries first attempted to transcribe Te Reo Māori.

Why did Te Reo Māori decline?

Many early English settlers spoke Te Reo to communicate and trade with Māori. Over time, the language declined. The colonists didn't believe in the sacredness or purpose of Te Reo. This thinking resulted in the ban of Te Reo in many schools and communities. The English considered speaking Te Reo as disrespectful and would punish school children. For some students, this would lead to public caning. Even in the 1980's, many still discouraged Te Reo, and suppressed it in the community.

Where does Te Reo Māori stand today?

Though Māori feared for the extinction of Te Reo, they refused to accept it. In the 1970s, a rise of Māori people declared their identities as warriors. Māori groups, tribes and leaders connected to build and solidify their language. The same cities, schools and workplaces that shunned Te Reo were now embracing it. stain the beauty of Te Reo Māori every day; and every day Tamaki Māori Village's vision is to su it continues to grow.

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The Fascinating History of New Zealand's Native Language

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Language. It's such an integral part of life and yet we often overlook its importance. Especially when it comes to its cultural significance. New Zealand has three official languages - English, New Zealand Sign Language and Te Reo Māori (the Māori language). Te Reo is a stunning, poetic language - and its history equally as fascinating...

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What need was there that caused the invention of sign language?

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Have you ever seen people deep in conversation with each other without a single sound coming from their lips? Their hands and fingers move animatedly as they silently 'speak' sentences that sometimes you can also guess at. These people are actually conversing using sign language because they are hearing or speech impaired.

Across the world, people have developed sign language to communicate with each other and with the rest of the world. Signs and gestures have always been in use. Medieval monks who have taken vows of silence, Native Americans, African bushmen and others are fluent in the art of gestures and sign language communication. These could be signs such as asking for food or water. In England, the medieval monk Venerable Bede devised a number code based on manual signs.

Indian classical dancers also make use of a rich vocabulary of gestures called 'mudras'. Most 'mudras' describe actions, such as eating, while others represent emotions, animals, even gods and goddesses. For example, by joining the thumb, the middle finger and ring finger, while the other two are fully extended, the dancer represent a deer.

Sign language, as we know it today, originated in the 16th century when an Italian physician called Geronimo Cardano, decided to teach deaf people by writing a combination of symbols and associating them with the thing they represented.

However, the real breakthrough came in 1755, when a French priest, Abbe Charles Michel de L'Epée, founded a school for deaf people in Paris. He developed a form of communication through a system of gestures, hand signs, and finger spelling for easy communication. The Abbe improvised his system after studying existing signs and gestures used by deaf people. This ultimately became a finger-spelt version of spoken French of the time.

The L'Epée system became the forerunner of modern day French sign language. In 1816, Dr Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet adopted this system after seeing it in Paris. In 1817, the first permanent school for the deaf was established at Hartford, Connecticut in the US. This sign language was merged with various gestures already in use to form what came to be known as American Sign Language.

Around the same time, in 1778 in Germany, Samuel Heinicke was working on a system to teach deaf people the science of lip reading. Heinicke developed a system of teaching through oral patterns wherein deaf people could understand words by studying the lip movements of speakers.

The most important element of manual communication is the use of hands and fingers to simulate concepts and ideas or express words through finger spelling.

Some gestures are universal. For example putting a finger to your head and twirling it is universally understood to mean "slightly mad". Or the forefinger rubbed across the lips to mean "you're lying"! Modern day sign language uses both single hand, as in the American system, or double hand spelling, as in British and other European systems.

Since each country has its own sign language with gestures, an international sign language called Gestuno has been developed. In international conferences and events, Gestuno has found a ready audience.

Sign language works beautifully between two people knowing the language. But when a hearing/speaking person who doesn't know sign wants to 'talk' to a hearing-impaired person, he needs to keep some things in mind.

He or she must first draw the attention of the person s/he wants to speak to so the person can see the speaker. Speak clearly without mumbling and never turn your head away while speaking. If the person cannot see your lips, you may as well be talking to a wall.

Be precise and if what you say is not understood, repeat what you said without shouting. Shouting distorts the mouth and lips and it becomes difficult to lip read.

Never belittle or waive a sentence off, if you think the other person hasn't understood. The responsibility for communicating clearly lies with you.

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Have you ever seen people deep in conversation with each other without a single sound coming from their lips? Their hands and fingers move animatedly as they silently 'speak' sentences that sometimes you can also guess at. These people are actually conversing using sign language because they are hearing or speech impaired.

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Why was there a need for a talking book? What had to be invented for the talking book to be able to happen?

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Today, talking books reach hundreds of thousands of blind and partially sighted people. It all started 80 years ago when the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB) began providing books to war-blinded soldiers. What's more, as part of their 80th anniversary celebrations, RNIB's Talking Books service is now completely free to use.

Captain Ian Fraser lost his sight at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, after being shot through the eyes by a German sniper. A single gunshot had robbed him of one of his greatest passions: reading. Fraser tried to put his life back together in England and worked hard to learn braille at St. Dunstan's, a hostel built to help blinded veterans like him. One day, frustrated at how slowly he could read, he cried out, 'If books could only talk!'

And, as it turned out, they could. It was while listening to a gramophone at St. Dunstan's that he was inspired to record an entire 'talking book'. Fraser started working with RNIB in 1918. His team was in charge of exploring new technology to help blind people and the following year he tried recording a few of his favourite poems on records made by the Columbia Gramophone Company and Pathephone Company. They sounded awful, but it was a start. Fraser described these experiments as 'the first beginnings of the talking book'.

'Too slow, too difficult, too expensive'

RNIB and St. Dunstan's worked together to find a reading machine for blind soldiers and civilians. Over the next decade they experimented with machines such as the Blattnerphone and Libraphone. One machine converted a book's letters into musical tones; another traced the letters' outlines beneath their fingertips. But all of the solutions were rejected as either too slow, too difficult, or too expensive - some of them would have cost more than £5,000 today.

RNIB gave the gramophone companies a second chance in 1932, but none of them made records that played for longer than five minutes. As Fraser said afterwards, 'The era of long play for the sighted had not yet dawned, so we had to go into it on our own'.

So blind people got to listen to LP records over a decade before everyone else.

Going it alone

RNIB set up its own recording studio in London in 1934. By narrowing a shellac record's grooves and playing it at a reduced speed, Fraser's team successfully made records that could play for 25 minutes per side (nearly seven minutes longer than those made in America). The average novel would fit onto 10 discs and even the entire Bible could be recorded. Many of these books were read by the BBC announcers of the time, whose velvet voices were already familiar from the wireless.

People listened to these records on specially designed turntables that played at three different speeds - they worked even if you didn't have access to electricity. Better yet, blind people could use them without help - one of the models also came with headphones to protect the reader's privacy - and the machines were available to blind civilians at cost price and to veterans for even less.

A wonderful blessing

The first talking books went out to readers on 7 November 1935. Books like Agatha Christie's The Murder of Roger Ackroyd were shipped in sturdy containers for free and returned at a special reduced postal rate. Fraser described the initial recipients as 'reader-listeners'.

These books changed people's lives. One reader-listener called them 'a wonderful blessing', another described them as 'the greatest joy of my life'. Even braille readers appreciated the chance to give their fingers a break and one declared, 'It is glorious to be able to sit back and be read to.'

Listening to talking books entertained people and helped them to cope with boredom, depression, and social isolation. Veterans found them especially soothing. 'Don't you think this is real luxury?' asked one ex-soldier who listened to talking books every night before bed. Two years after the library opened, nearly a thousand people had received talking book machines.

RNIB's 80th anniversary of Talking Books

Today, thanks to the support of donors, publishers and the hundreds of staff and volunteers who work hard behind the scenes, RNIB's collection of more than 24,000 unabridged books - which is growing every day - is listened to by nearly 30,000 people, in a wider range of formats than ever before. RNIB's Talking Books can be downloaded to a smart phone or tablet, without the need for specialist equipment, or can be borrowed on USB stick and then played on a wide variety of devices.

RNIB are working more closely than ever before with publishers, not only to bring their books to the RNIB Library but also to make sure as many books as possible are published in accessible formats so they can be enjoyed at the same time by anyone, regardless of their reading requirements or preferences.

The History Press titles which RNIB have recorded as Talking Books for their library so far include:

If you would like any further information on RNIB's Talking Books service, please visit rnib.org.uk or call the RNIB helpline on 0303 123 9999.

You might also be interested in:

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The History Press | How the talking book was born

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Captain Ian Fraser lost his sight at the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, after being shot through the eyes by a German sniper. A single gunshot had robbed him of one of his greatest passions: reading. Fraser tried to put his life back together in England and worked hard to learn braille at St.

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There is an interesting history behind the invention of Braille - not what you'd think!

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Invention Of BRAILLE - Language Of The Blind  | The Dr. Binocs Show | Best Learning Video for Kids

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A complicated communication method, still used today. Why?

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The Semaphore flag signaling system is an alphabet signalling system based on the waving of a pair of hand-held flags in a particular pattern.

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Have a look at this picture  - you can click on it to read and enlarge. See how much the telephone has changed!  Why do you think this is?  Can you find out more?  How do these compare with what we have now?

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This is an interesting time-lapse of how various places in the world have changed for a range of reasons. I wonder how our entire planet has changed?

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How places change in 32 Years - Google Earth Timelapse

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What will technology look like in 100 years?

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What will technology look like in 100 years?

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Wow! Can you imagine some of these? Can you think of any new ideas yourselves?

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What Will Technology Look Like In 100 Years?

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Wow! Look at where these important inventions began! How important are they in our lives? And, how much have they changed over time?

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History of 50 Important Inventions Timeline

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Watch the Timeline of Technology Evolution
Transportation - Electricity - Telecommunication - Media -
Medicine - Building - Machines - Aerospace - Computer

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Deforestation of the Amazon Forest over time

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Deforestation of the Amazon Forest over time

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Wow!  Is this a good thing?  Why or why not?  What are some of the problems that come with this change?

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The Deforestation of the Amazon (A Time Lapse)

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Watch this video to see some technological items and how they have changed - pretty interesting!

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Past and Present | Technology Then and Now