Glass Timeline - Important Dates and Facts in Glass History
The shot glass, as we know it today, has gone through an interesting evolution influenced by many cultures. Glass has a long history of 5000 years.
- 3100 BC Earliest glass artifacts found in Egypt
- 1500 BC Small glass articles made from moulds have been found in Egypt and Syria. The first glass was produced probably in Egypt.
- 650 BC First glass making manual was written, Assyrian Assurbanipal's Library
- 1 AD Technique of blowing glass was invented in the Babylon area.
- 25-400 AD Rapid development and growth of glass melting, working and forming technology in the Mediterranean region during the Roman Era
- 100 AD Glass cost rapidly declines and for the first time becomes available to ordinary citizens
- 600-699 Strong Islamic influence
- 1000AD Domination of Venice glass center in glass production. Murano Island became a major glass center.
- 1226 ''Broad Sheet''was first produced in Sussex
- 1330 French glassmakers produced ''crown glass'' in Rouen, France
- 1500 Angelo Barovier invented ''cristallo'', clear, colorless glass
- 1590 Development of glass telescope and microscope lenses in Neitherlands
- 1600 Caspar Lehman, a Praque glassmaker, used the technique of cutting rock crystal to glass
- 1600 France became a major power in the glass industry
- 1608 The first American glass was made by settlers in Jamestone
- 1615 Introduction of coal furnaces in England
- 1620 Production of ''Blown plate'' was produced in London
- 1676 English glassmaker George Ravenscroft patented a formula for lead glass, heavy, clear glass, ideal for cutting.
- 1688 ``Polished plate`` was produced in France
- 1690 William of Orange passed a law that lifted taxes on distilled spirits and encouraged development and expansion of this industry
- 1745 Glass Excise Act passed in England
- 1765 ''Crystal glass'' production began a new era in glass industry
- 1773 Glassworks of polished plate glass were established at Ravenshead in England
- 1800 Industrial revolution dawned a new era in glass industry. Synthetic glasses with improved properties were available for the first time
- 1827 Glass pressing machine was invented in America
- 1834 Robert Lucas Chance introduced ``Improved Cylinder Sheet``
- 1843 Henry Bessemer introduced an early form of ``Float glass``
- 1847 James Hartley invented ``Rolled plate``
- 1867 First regenerative glass furnace was patented in German by Siemens brothers, Freiderich, Karl, Hans, Werner and Wilhelm
- 1875 Technical glasses were developed in Germany
- 1903 An automatic glass blowing machine was invented by Michael Owens
- 1913 Technique of ``Flat Drawn Sheet`` was introduced in Belgium
- 1950-1960 Glass science became a major research discipline. Major glass research center was established by Ford Motor Co
- 1959 "Float glass" was invented in UK by Sir Akistair Pilkington
- 1984 First fluoride glass was discovered by Marcel and Michael Poulain and Jacques Lucas in Rennes, France.