Su Song's astronomical clock tower
A water clock with the first known chain drive
The Song official Su Song built a tower in the capital where a water wheel turned an armillary sphere and a celestial globe. Power ran through an endless chain — the oldest known, like a bicycle's — and 133 figurines struck and displayed the hours.
Wikipedia (Russian) · Wikipedia (English) · 11th century
Meanwhile around the world (±25 years)
Europe
- 1077 Walk to Canossa — 15 years earlier
- c. 1088 University of Bologna — 4 years earlier
Eastern Europe & Russia
- 1113 Vladimir Monomakh in Kiev — 21 years later
- c. 1113 The Primary Chronicle — 21 years later
Middle East
- 1071 Battle of Manzikert — 21 years earlier
- 1099 Crusaders capture Jerusalem — 7 years later
Africa
- c. 1070 The Almoravids found Marrakesh — 22 years earlier
Alive at the time
- Omar Khayyam (aged 44)
- Henry IV (aged 42)
- Vladimir II Monomakh (aged 39)
- Vsevolod I (aged 62)
- Shen Kuo (aged 61)
- Sviatopolk II (aged 42)
- Philip I (aged 40)
- Nestor the Chronicler (aged 36)
- William II Rufus (aged 36)
- Al-Ghazali (aged 34)