Do 18th century scientists get enough credit? On p. 348 of the 11th edition of Braunwald's heart disease, Reverend Stephen Hales is given credit for inventing the first cardiac catherization in 1711. One year later, the Newcomen engine was invented. The flying shuttle was invented in 1733. Not long before this, Isaac Newton paved the way for the modern world.

What was it about this period that was so much better than say 478-421 B.C? That is, between when the oldest extant play was published by Aeschylus (one year after the battle of Platea) and when Alcibiades was recalled from the campaign in Sicily due to the jealously of his fellow Athenians? That time period was perhaps most notable for Thucydides, who was just as competent of a historian as anyone today. Sophocles was also at his peak in that period.

What if Aeschylus had invented algebra? Is there any reason that would have been impossible? How would the world be different today if he had? Is it possible for early 17th century inventions to have happened without the existence of algebra? Why did it take two centuries for Stephen Hales' catherization for horses, to be applied to humans? Shouldn't catherization for humans have been invented before 1929 by Werner Forssmann? What took so long?