🔗 Share this article Can You Solve This? The Overlooked Dutch Invention That Forged the Modern Globe There are many contenders for the title of “world’s most significant innovation.” The circular axle. The movable type. The combustion motor. As per a new book, however, that title belongs to the mechanised timber mill conceived through Dutchman Cornelis Corneliszoon in 1593. “Before mechanised sawing, constructing a modest trading ship required approximately 10 sawyers working over three months,” writes Jaime Dávila. “Using wind-driven lumber mills, an identical amount of processed timber could be produced within seven days.” Thanks to their rapid mechanical cutter, which converted timber into planks using virtually no human effort, the Dutch were able to construct ships more quickly than any other nation, which sparked a century of Dutch maritime, economic and cultural dominance in Europe and the globe. The Original Genuine Manufacturing Machine Corneliszoon’s lumber mill, argues the writer, represented “mankind’s first true industrial apparatus.” A windmill rotated a gear. A single part converted its circular movement into up-and-down action to power the saw. A separate mechanism transformed the spinning movement into a sideway’s motion feeding the log to the cutter. A ratchet system moved the log forward a measured step per cycle. “Each element was modest by itself. The Dutchman’s brilliance lay in how to combine them so the machine acted in a precisely synchronized order, cutting on every descending motion while advancing with each upward stroke. It was a remarkably clever use of basic parts.” Which brings us to the current challenge. I’d like you to reimagine a key the fundamental ideas behind Corneliszoon’s machine. Circular to Vertical Construct a machine that turns rotary motion to vertical action. You have these components exclusively: A spinning wheel. Two pins. Two rods. A “guide”, that is a tube or sleeve through which a single the rods can slide perfectly. (Consider that it is possible to mount components on a base, so the components don’t collapse.) The solution returns later today UK featuring the answer. In the interim, NO SPOILERS. Instead, please suggest (less celebrated) contenders as the planet’s greatest creation.