3 most important innovations of all time

[kf10]

it is said that wheel/tire is the most important innovation of all time

how about 2nd and 3rd most important innovations of all time
in my opinion paper is the 2nd most important innovation of all time

followed by electricity

 

[kf10]

4th most important innovation

computer

 

[Barman58]

The wheel is nowhere near the top of the list, and the computer is probably quite near the bottom ...

Consider things like fire, the club, Knife, spear, throwing stick, Bow & Arrows, then there are the really important things such as Language & Thought which makes everything else possible , what about war, Farming, which makes others "needed" and Healing, for after the inevitable ... A bucket to carry water is more important than a computer, even today, for a lot of people in the world

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi,
Fire
Liquor
Guns
Indoor plumbing

 

[mjf]

One innovation tops the list - The innovation of using and developing tools.
(not be confused with the other type of tool which is down the other end)

 

[Layback Bear]

The plow has got to be close to the top.
It enabled mankind to grow crops in quantity.
Growing crops allowed mankind to stay in one location and start communities.
No longer did mankind have to rely on hunting and gathering for survival.
Mankind could pool labor and knowledge once communities were developed.
I think that is when divorce lawyers and taxes got their start.:sarc:

Jack

 

[jadinolf]

What--beer doesn't even get honorable mention?

 

[Layback Bear]

That is one reason the plow is so important.
Can't make beer with out plenty of grain.

Jack

 

[Ranger4]

Surely one of the most important things was the taming of animals, like the horse for ploughing & faster travel, cows for milking, dogs for hunting & protection.

 

[Lady Fitzgerald]

Compound interest.

 

[RoWin7]

Fire isn't an innovation or invention because it existed already in nature. The USING OF FIRE to cook was the innovation.

 

[Bertison]

But the MAKING of Fire is surely an innovation?

I can make fire with two sticks, a bit of string, a small piece of hardwood, a small piece of softwood and some dry brushwood or small shavings. Did this in Army Service, it's called a bow drill: Fire - Bow Drill

The method shown is a bit OTT, the bow drill can be made with a much smaller bow. Where string is not available, a creeper plant such as Honeysuckle can be used, by plaiting longe lengths together. Mesolithic man used Honeysuckle vines to make rope.

 

[Layback Bear]

The tools used to make a fire are a invention but fire is not a invention.

3 most important innovations of all time

Poking a hole in the earth and putting a seed in it is not a invention.
Creating a tool such as a plow to do the job better and quicker is inventing the plow.
Jack

 

[Mellon Head]

If we are talking purely about innovation that did not exploit natural phenomena like fire, or mankind's tendency to beat the hell out of each other, I would have to say:

1. The ability to make fire - kept humans warm, cooked food, and kept dangerous wild animals away
2. Language - allowed for the dissemination and distribution of ideas and concepts
3. Agriculture - allowed permanent, larger human settlements to form and thrive

If I had to identify a fourth, I might name medicine to the list, for obvious reasons

 

[Bertison]

The tools used to make a fire are a invention but fire is not a invention.

3 most important innovations of all time

Poking a hole in the earth and putting a seed in it is not a invention.
Creating a tool such as a plow to do the job better and quicker is inventing the plow.
Jack

Have to disagree, Bear! To invent something, requires thought and the use of imagination: "thinking outside the box" as it is known nowadays. The process of growing grain, began in separate locations around the world, perhaps as far back as 20,000 years ago. But those people who first realised that the wild grasses could be planted, grown and harvested, needed intelligence, thought and imagination to sow, protect and reap the crop. It needed more of those qualities to realise that the grasses could be developed into better crops, by taking the best-producing grains and replanting them. And a process of evolution began, is still happening in fact: over thousands of years, more productive crops are grown, and continue to be improved by science.

The process of creating a plough (Brit spelling!) requires the same thought and imagination, but then we discover the beginnings of Engineering! a process close to my heart, as all my male ancestors, back to 16th Century Wales, were blacksmiths. Even my dearly-missed nephew was a Blacksmith.

Here, though is a link to the 7 Greatest British Inventions. One of them had to happen, for you and I to have this electronic conversation.
7 Great British inventions that changed the world | Reader's Digest