Voting Station

Cai Lun

Please vote to return to collections.

Inventor

The Resume

    (50-120)
    Secretary of Emperor He
    Best known for inventing a usable form of paper

Why he might be annoying:

    He is wrongly credited for inventing paper.
    Though paper was supposed to help preserve records, the exact formula of his paper is lost to history.
    He got involved in imperial drama and aided in the death of Consort Song.
    When Emperor An (a grandson of Song) assumed power, he put a warrant on Cai.
    He didn't have the balls to go to prison, so he killed himself after a hot bath.
    He also literally didn't have the balls (he was a eunuch).
    He is unknown to most of the world outside Asia.

Why he might not be annoying:

    While he did not invent paper, he reformed the process of making it.
    His invention is one of the main reasons China excelled ahead of the West in technology.
    When it reached Europe, it also caused a rapid acceleration in technology.
    His invention was a prerequisite to the invention of the printing press.
    He made quite a bit of money for his innovations and the practicality of his paper immediately caught on.

Credit: Captain Howdy


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 38 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 28 Votes: 53.57% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 14 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 26 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 21 Votes: 47.62% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 31 Votes: 48.39% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 61 Votes: 49.18% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 213 Votes: 41.31% Annoying