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3000 BCE
The First Ruler
The invention of the ruler is found in ancient civilizations, like the Greeks and Egyptians that used to make measurements in a straight line, the first rulers were often made from wood or ivory. -
Period: 2650 BCE to 1500 BCE
Ruler Excavations
The oldest measuring rod that was found through excavations is a copper-alloy bar that dates from c. 2650 BCE and was found by the German Archeologist Eckhard Unger while excavating at Iraq. Archeologists in Pakistan found rulers made of Ivory that were in use prior to 1500 BCE. Excavations in India have found one such ruler from 2400 BCE which was about 1.6mm long. -
Period: to
Rulers in the 19th and 20th century
Later on the type of rulers were expended and included the protractor that was invented in 1801 by Joseph Huddart, a U.S. naval captain.
The folding ruler was invented in 1851 by Anton Ullrich.Frank Hunt later made the flexible ruler in 1902. -
Period: to
The Modern Rulers
The modern 12-inch ruler used today was supposed to equal the length of a man's foot, while the width of a man's thumb was equal to 1 inch. The rulers we use today are often made from metal or plastic and can be bent to accommodate objects that are not completely straight. -
Period: to
Digital Rulers
Today we even have rulers and protractors on our smartphones.
The ruler app can be used as a replacement to the modern ruler and nowadays people use it instead of the physical rulers
