History of Paper

Paper is an essential part of technology that has aided in the development of humans as a species. Paper is a thin material usually produced from natural fibers such as wood pulp and is used for writing, drawing, or printing. 

It has a history of more than 2,000 years and has been used worldwide. The first appearance of something paper-like was in Egypt in 2000 B.C. They produced an inferior version of paper known as papyrus. The superior and more reliable paper-making method was recorded in China around 105 C.E. Its invention is credited to Cai/Tsai Lun, an Eastern Han Dynasty court official. 

Cai Lun devised a method using natural fibers like wooden pulp, hemp, or old cotton rags. A thin layer of fiber was created by heating these fibers and submerging them in warm water, which was then flattened out and left to dry. This method was cheap and very easy to produce compared to
using bamboo, wood, or silk. The initial use of paper wasn't writing, though; the paper produced through this method was used to wrap gifts and other valuable objects. Soon enough, people realized that this new invention could solve some of their problems. 

Before the invention of paper, the Chinese used bamboo slips to write. These slips could only contain a certain number of Chinese characters and often took a lot of time to produce. This is due to the nature of cutting the bamboo and then having to hand-sew the columns together. In addition, books or legal documents written by royalty became very heavy and hard to transport. For example, the emperor Chin Shih Huang had to mull over 20 pounds of documents. Silk was also used to write information on, but silk was an expressive material. These circumstances and issues eventually led to a cheap and innovative way to create paper. 

The invention of paper eventually spread all over the world. First to the rest of Asia, then to the Arab world, and then finally Europe. Countries in Asia, such as Korea and Japan, use paper only for official documents. Soon, they also began their own production of paper and used it for things like books or construction, which is more famous in Japanese culture. Muslims used paper to record and spread the message of the Qur'an. They also used paper for their academics, such as mathematics and medicine. 

The way Europe embraced paper was different from all the different places, though. The paper was initially disdained, specifically by the Christian Church. That was due to it being connected to Muslims. The creation of the Gutenberg Press around 1440-1450 changed this and popularized paper and printing in Europe. The printing press was able to print words along with upper and lowercase letters and punctuation. Since it was now so easy to print large quantities of paper with text, people from all economic situations were able to become more literate. Books, papers as well as 200 Latin Bibles were printed and spread throughout Europe. Communication became easier since instead of word-of-mouth or exclusively handwritten letters/documents, printed papers were fast and easy to produce. 

Currently, paper continues to be used to relay or record information. That being in the form of newspapers, books, or documents. Online news sources and the general digitalization of everything have decreased paper usage. This may be for the better since we still use an exorbitant amount of paper which has aided in things like deforestation, and landfill issues. Paper will continue to be used in human society, and the history behind its creation and use continues to be relevant all the way into the modern day.