• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Science / How was glass invented from melted sand and when?

How was glass invented from melted sand and when?

June 10, 2020 by Karen Hill

Most glass is made of silica sand (silica, or silicon dioxide), with a little soda ash (sodium carbonate) and limestone (calcium carbonate) added to lower the sand’s melting temperature.

Early humans got the idea for making glass after finding chunks formed by lightning strikes on the beach. These early humans originally cast it like metal and then ground and polished it, which was a laborious process.

At about 50 B.C., Romans figured out how to blow glass using hollow metal tubes, which suddenly made glass inexpensive and practical for a variety of cups, bottles, and other vessels.

Related Facts

  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • How Is Glass Made?
  • What does the phrase “to sit like a Stoughton bottle” mean and Where does it come from?
  • How do they make glass windows so flawlessly flat?
  • Is Glass Really a Thick Liquid That Can Flow Under the Influence of Gravity?
  • Why Do We Have Different Measuring Cups For Wet and Dry Ingredients When Cooking?

Filed Under: Science

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « How do they make glass windows so flawlessly flat?
Next Post: Do windows get thicker at the bottom over years because glass is really a slow-moving liquid? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy