parallel inventions in the 15th and 20th century:

  • books (printed through the printing press) spread knowledge just like the internet does, allowing a facilitated and drastically accelerated exchange of ideas
  • new transport methods allow new lands to be reached and new worlds to be explored. i wonder whether it is an accident that “spaceships” are called after ships
  • Lyra_Lycan@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    19 days ago

    A ship is, by definition, a large vessel for navigation purposes. Spaceship is an adaptation from spacecraft to specify that it is ‘manned’, and spacecraft is a vehicle designed for space. ‘Craft’ means power, strength, skill or requiring skill, and as well as originating from the items that skilled craftsmen would create, was later used as a nickname for original ships, possibly for a multitude of reasons, such as the skill required to build the vessel, to control it, or the general importance and power of using it for trade between communities.