Ancient Seismograph
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What is the object on the left? This is the first seismograph ever built! It was invented in 132 AD in China by Zhang Heng. This seismograph had 8 dragons that held a ball in its mouth. The pendulum inside the urn would move in the direction of the earthquake, making the dragon in that direction drop the ball into the frog's mouth. This device saved many lives in Ancient China. It had predicted an earthquake that hit a Chinese town, giving the town people adequate time to evacuate. It is amazing to know how long before John Milne (see bottom picture) invented the modern seismograph, nearly 2ooo years after Zhang Heng.
Modern Seismograph
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In 1880, British scientists Sir James Alfred Ewing, Thomas Gray, and John Milne were working in Japan and began to conduct their research on earthquakes. They founded the Seismological Society of Japan and the society funded the invention of the seismograph.
This instrument was invented by scientist John Milne and is considered the first modern seismograph. He invented it in 1880 and is a horizontal seismograph. John Milne's seismograph looks quite different from today's seismographs. It is a purely mechanical instrument without the use of any electronic components.