Shen Kuo born in Hangzhou

1049

The Song polymath who would describe the magnetic compass, notice that fossilized bamboo in the north meant climates had changed, describe movable-type printing, and write on music and astronomy was born in Hangzhou. His Brush Talks from Dream Brook is one of the great scientific miscellanies. His observations on geological processes, including erosion and sedimentation, anticipated modern earth science by several centuries.