What's The Greatest Invention in History?

[RevWarRifleman]

THE AUTOMOBILE, far & away had the biggest impact of all time!

It was a global phenominon (sorry for the spelling) that's still going on today. It impacted on our society on many, many, fronts.

It impacted on the steel industry, the oil industry, commercial farming as well as private farming, road construction, the hotel

and motel busineses, tourism, even the fast food business. The list goes on and on, longer than I have the time to post on this

topic.  That machine provided millions and millions of jobs for a lot of people.

 

[Jauronimo]

1 hour ago, RevWarRifleman said:

THE AUTOMOBILE, far & away had the biggest impact of all time!

It was a global phenominon (sorry for the spelling) that's still going on today. It impacted on our society on many, many, fronts.

It impacted on the steel industry, the oil industry, commercial farming as well as private farming, road construction, the hotel

and motel busineses, tourism, even the fast food business. The list goes on and on, longer than I have the time to post on this

topic.  That machine provided millions and millions of jobs for a lot of people.

 

It impacted where people live and how they live.  It shaped American culture.  Outside of the old cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, and to a lesser extent Philadelphia/DC every American city was built for cars.   Urban sprawl and suburban mediocrity are simply not possible without the automobile.  The number one priority of city designers is "where are all the cars going to park?"

[loyal2dagame]

Microchip. Take a look around where you are sitting and make note of all the items that use microchip technology to make your existence more comforting. 

[Steve O]

7 hours ago, RevWarRifleman said:

THE AUTOMOBILE, far & away had the biggest impact of all time!

It was a global phenominon (sorry for the spelling) that's still going on today. It impacted on our society on many, many, fronts.

It impacted on the steel industry, the oil industry, commercial farming as well as private farming, road construction, the hotel

and motel busineses, tourism, even the fast food business. The list goes on and on, longer than I have the time to post on this

topic.  That machine provided millions and millions of jobs for a lot of people.

 

And yet, but for the wheel it would be useless. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Steve O said:

And yet, but for the wheel it would be useless. 

Yeah... But the wheel is basic. Of course it's great, I don't think that's ever in question.  BUT, it's like saying primary colors are the greatest. 

 

Stuff like the wheel should get a look over to greater things. The wheel is an innately human invention that was bound to happen. 

[RevWarRifleman]

3 hours ago, Steve O said:

And yet, but for the wheel it would be useless. 

How true Steve O!

[Irv]

21 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

At this point, the internet.

 

It gives you unlimited resources of knowledge.  

 

It can transfer funds/money instantly.

 

It's powerful enough that without it now, countries would crumble.  

 

It brings communication through out the world instant.

 

It gives you unlimited resources to anything because you can get anything you want from the internet.  Research, find it, order it and have it delivered.  Which makes life easier for many people.  

It’s up there.  But for every positive you get from the internet, there are many negatives.  I think that drops it down a bit.  

[Bills!Win!]

Plumbing. I think it’s the one thing we can’t live without. I would not want to live in a world without being able to bathe or use the facilities whenever needed. 

[Royale with Cheese]

51 minutes ago, Bills!Win! said:

Plumbing. I think it’s the one thing we can’t live without. I would not want to live in a world without being able to bathe or use the facilities whenever needed. 

Its what LaGaurdia did for NYC I believe.  People were just dumping waste in the streets.  
 

He headed up the cleaning, sanitizing and plumbing system for the city.

[bleve]

The Antikythera Mechanism

[ExiledInIllinois]

On 4/19/2024 at 7:51 AM, Bills!Win! said:

Plumbing. I think it’s the one thing we can’t live without. I would not want to live in a world without being able to bathe or use the facilities whenever needed. 

Huh?

 

Sure you can. My father was born in Cheektowaga in the 1930s. His family didn't get indoor plumbing till he got back from the Army in early 1950s.

 

Indoor plumbing is a luxury.

 

Anyway... Plumbing systems have been around since antiquity... Always been a luxury.

[Just Jack]

On 4/16/2024 at 2:45 PM, frostbitmic said:

The Thermos - How does it know how to keep the hot things hot and the cold things cold ?   

 

True story.  My brother used to work in a retail store and had a customer ask him if the Styrofoam coffee cups could also be used for cold drinks. 

 

 

On 4/16/2024 at 5:54 AM, Steve O said:

Seriously Irv? The microwave oven? Let me tell you about the microwave oven. It was invented in 1947 as the radar range. Throughout the rest of the 40's and 50's barely anyone owned them. You know what else was extremely low at the time? The divorce rate. In the 60's and 70's microwave ownership began to pick up. What else did? Bingo, the divorce rate. Microwave ownership steadily rose through the 80's and 90's, then started to level off at the turn of the century. That's right, the divorce rate followed the same trend. If you look at separate graphs of both since 1947, they look eerily similar. Coincidence? I think not!

 

I anxiously await your report on how the air fryer has affected the marriage/divorce rate also.  

 

[Doc Brown]

Surprised penicillin hasn't been mentioned yet.  Antibiotics are the greatest medical invention at least.

[Shamrock]

Metallurgy or Heavy Metal.

[Gregg]

NFL Sunday Ticket.

[Fleezoid]

On 4/19/2024 at 8:51 AM, Bills!Win! said:

Plumbing. I think it’s the one thing we can’t live without. I would not want to live in a world without being able to bathe or use the facilities whenever needed. 

 

I don't know. I think it's overrated. 

 

 

[Steve O]

8 hours ago, Just Jack said:

 

I anxiously await your report on how the air fryer has affected the marriage/divorce rate also.  

 

Now the air fryer, and slow cooker as well, are great inventions. Both make you better cooks than you are. Divorce rate would decline if they were used instead of the microwave. Slow cooker was invented by a Jewish guy who was tired of eating cold meals on the sabbath. Not allowed to turn anything on or off once the sabbath starts. Not sure about the origins of the air fryer but I'm a big fan.

[K-9]

The mute button.

[That's No Moon]

9 hours ago, Shamrock said:

Metallurgy or Heavy Metal.

42 minutes ago, K-9 said:

The mute button.

That was the single greatest thing about teaching remotely. It was amazing.  The mute button with the ability to lock it out so people couldn't unmute themselves. Blissful.

[Tiberius]

On 4/17/2024 at 6:21 PM, SoTier said:

While fire itself isn't an invention, the harnessing of fire for light, heat, and cooking food certainly was.  It was the very first step on the road to civilization. 

It also quickened human evolution, by making food more nutritious, calorie rich, easier to eat and chew (so smaller teeth and larger brains) and safer (killed bacteria and such). It also gave humans protection from other animals and allowed us to live almost anywhere on the planet. 

 

18 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Huh?

 

Sure you can. My father was born in Cheektowaga in the 1930s. His family didn't get indoor plumbing till he got back from the Army in early 1950s.

 

Indoor plumbing is a luxury.

 

Anyway... Plumbing systems have been around since antiquity... Always been a luxury.

Plumbing might be a luxury, but sewage systems are a public health measure that makes life in cities possible.