Ts'ai Lun

From Conservapedia

Ts'ai Lun was born in Guiyang, China during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ts'ai Lun became the secretary to the Emperor Ho-Ti. Lun started inventing paper by trying different materials like bark, hemp, silk, and, strangely, even a fishing net. The formula he finally came up with has been lost to history.

The Emperor Ho-Ti was pleased by this invention and granted Ts'ai an aristocratic title which contained great wealth. But in the end his great wealth and position led to his downfall when Ts'ai drank poison and committed suicide after he had taken a bath and had been dressed in fine robes.

By A.D. 105 paper was used widely in China. Paper eventually spread to the west by Arabs in 751 who captured Chinese paper makers in the Battle of Talas. The knowledge of papermaking spread through the nascent Islamic Empire and eventually reached Europe, where it was perfected.

Paper today is considered one of the most important inventions in history. It enabled China to develop its civilization faster than with other writing materials such as bamboo. It also helped Europe when it was introduced in the 12th and 13th centuries.