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How would you capitalize on today's knowledge if taken back to 1500AD.

edro

edro

Lifer
How would you capitalize on your current knowledge if you were taken back to the 1500s (or whatever time period you want)?
- You can't take books or electronics back with you (just the knowledge in your head)
- Be careful, you might be labeled a heretic and burned

Do you know enough science, mathematics, economics, medicine, etc to live richly?
Do you know enough to rule the world?
Even if you know certain things, can you prove them to the locals?

If you know medicine, chemistry, engineering, etc, are the materials available for you to use?
Is the terminology the same back then as it is today?

These are the questions I ask myself when I am bored.
I am sure this has been discussed here before, but it's fun to discuss these things.
 
1) Make some machine guns.
2) sell them
3) ....
4) profit

The original gatling gun was not too overly complicated. If I was able to sell ammo in 10 pound bulk lots... I am talking money.
 
Definitely something to do with wenches, and my knowledge of birth control. I think I know enough first aid/basic medicine to save some lives and make some money. I know enough electricity to whip up something to amaze the common folk so I would absolutely be a god.
 
several of you are missing the key point in the OPs question:

- Be careful, you might be labeled a heretic and burned

If you whip up a quick battery and start putzing with electricity, you're going to be burned at the stake in a heartbeat.
 
1500AD Huh??

I would warn them about the birth of a guy that is set for the year 0AD. He is gonna be visited by three wise dudes.

Kill him and spare the next 2000 years alot of backward bullshit.

Seriosly with out religion we would have been reaching the stars by now
 
As for metalurgy, do any of you know how to forge metal?
How about find its ore or process the ore into metal?
 
Sea Moose said:
1500AD Huh??

I would warn them about the birth of a guy that is set for the year 0AD. He is gonna be visited by three wise dudes.

Kill him and spare the next 2000 years alot of backward bullshit.

Seriosly with out religion we would have been reaching the stars by now
Click to expand...

Uhhh what?
 
Sea Moose said:
1500AD Huh??

I would warn them about the birth of a guy that is set for the year 0AD. He is gonna be visited by three wise dudes.

Kill him and spare the next 2000 years alot of backward bullshit.

Seriosly with out religion we would have been reaching the stars by now
Click to expand...

You'd be 1500 years too late.
 
The problem is, how do you pay for anything you would want to do? Just getting enough food to survive is going to be a challenge.
 
We would probably be killed for being witches.

Oh and yeah I know how to make a lot more than gun powder and steel. The problem would be machinery and temps necessary to make some of the alloys necessary for modern firearms.
 
Last edited:
Sea Moose said:
1500AD Huh??

I would warn them about the birth of a guy that is set for the year 0AD. He is gonna be visited by three wise dudes.

Kill him and spare the next 2000 years alot of backward bullshit.

Seriosly with out religion we would have been reaching the stars by now
Click to expand...

I think you may want to reread what you posted and think about it for a moment.
 
You also have to be careful to retain the intellectual property.
There weren't patents back then.
Some king might force you to reveal your secrets, then kill you.
 
edro said:
- Be careful, you might be labeled a heretic and burned
Click to expand...

Homerboy said:
several of you are missing the key point in the OPs question:

- Be careful, you might be labeled a heretic and burned

If you whip up a quick battery and start putzing with electricity, you're going to be burned at the stake in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Zebo said:
We would probably be killed for being witches.
Click to expand...

I think the question becomes more interesting if you stipulate post enlightenment (so perhaps add another 60-70 years or so... or not as my history is really shitty) and a secular society so you don't have worry about being burned at the stake for doing anything remotely interesting.
 
Homerboy said:
several of you are missing the key point in the OPs question:

- Be careful, you might be labeled a heretic and burned

If you whip up a quick battery and start putzing with electricity, you're going to be burned at the stake in a heartbeat.
Click to expand...

Only if you live in Europe.
 
You would immediately be outed from your language and dialect. Modern English is vastly different from 1500 AD English.

I would most likely modernize weaponry to the mini-ball (all the tech was available, just not in use). In 1500's firearms were known and used, which means you can't invent them. Bullets (as we know them) wouldn't be easily made due to lack of precision machines (or mechanization to automate it). That would kind of rule out the gatling gun.

I would most likely attempt to work on the steam engine. It's about the only thing that could be done in that time frame with material/tools available, isn't that advanced, and was the start of the industrial revolution which happened ~400 laters.
 
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