Shen Kuo
1031–1095 · Chinese (Song Dynasty) · Song Dynasty China
Known for: Discovered magnetic declination, described movable type, and wrote the encyclopedic Dream Pool Essays
Shen Kuo was one of the most versatile scientists in Chinese history. He described the magnetic compass needle's deviation from true north, documented movable type printing before Gutenberg, and wrote the Dream Pool Essays covering astronomy, mathematics, geology, and more.
His observations were centuries ahead of their European equivalents.
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