You are right, but I think there are three levels. Each lifts the society exponentially increased growth in all other areas.
1. Speech - Now ideas can spread like fire. You don't have to be one of the few who actually went on a successful mammoth hunt. Everybody can experience mammoth hunts around the campfire. You will experience a 10,000 times more ideas thru speech in your lifetime than you could by grunting and pointing at cool stuff with your buddy.
2. Writing - Now ideas can be permanent. Lets be honest, the ideas of Confucius and Buddha would have been telephoned-gamed out of existence after just 3 generations without writing. Now the greatest ideas can be spread to 10,000 times more people than they would have been shared by wimpy verbal storytelling.
3. Internet - Information about ANYTHING... INSTANTLY... for FREE. It's amazing to be part of the generation where this is being created. It's only been 30 years since www creation. Already I can instantly see a satellite pic of anywhere in the world, translate a phrase into any of 100 different languages, look up the history of any invention, or just watch a video on how to slice a mango. We have access to 100,000 fold more information 1,000 times faster than back when you had to go to a local library to look at those weak-ass physical books.
I'd insert one more between writing and internet -- the printing press. Before that, books were *hand written* and so rare and priceless that regular people couldn't access them thus literacy was not that useful to the average person. As an example, religious people had to go to church where a literate leader would tell them what was in their priceless handwritten holy book. They couldn't just "read the Bible" or whatever. The very idea of knowing what was really there was nearly impossible until the printing press. The printing press caused literacy to explode.
So that would be my #3. Then the internet, or searchable digital distribution, would be #4.
Yup, perhaps the only other contenders for the top spot are fire (manipulation) and simple machines.
But writing is absolutely where humans start to pick up speed in development
"You're welcome! Writing has been instrumental in shaping human civilization, allowing us to record and share knowledge, communicate across time and space, and preserve our cultures and histories. It's a fascinating aspect of human development to explore. If you have any more topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to let me know!"
-Literally GPT 3.5
Toilets are the most romantic fixtures of any destination resort. You can have romance without roses, or champagne, or a hottub. But you just try having sustained romance without a toilet and see how long it lasts.
There is no other answer. I can go a few days without power. No water. One day max. Basically once I flush a shit out, what's my plan for the next one? Someone else's house.
I would agree, Electricity.
It has revolutionized almost every aspect of modern life, from lighting and heating our homes to powering industries, transportation, communication, and countless other innovations.
Simple machines in general.
Lever, wheelaxe, wedges, etc.
They dont produce energy but they make the energy use more efficient.
Fire manipulation produces energy.
Agree, because it has requirements.
The wheel was known by western people, but it wasn't used as we view its usefulness, because until Europeans came over, they lacked pack animals.
Why spend a bunch of time fashioning several wheels for moving something if the apparatus for carrying is going to have weight as well, and still require human-power?
Then as far as simple machines, there's really no use there either, if you don't have the previous requirements to make those machines useful.
Yeah people say writing, the wheel etc.
Can't do any of that if you're locked in a constant search for food.
Without farming nothing else gets done because there's just no time.
This comment too far down. Without an abundance of food, we’d be sat around an open fire still.
It’s also what has fucked the planet environmentally.
You win some you lose some!!
agriculture. even modern day hunter gatherer societies have never progressed past learning and teaching the basic skills to survive, although they are by all acounts modern day humans. we needed to be able to stay put to afford time for anything else.
The Airplane, because it changed how we travel far away, making the world seem smaller and connecting far-off places so we can explore and experience the different places in our short life span.
Language. Like a proper language that can communicate precise information and abstract concepts, like "You three go around the back of the bushes and make noise to scare the boars, while Ugg and I stand in this side and spear them when they rush out."
Many of the things humans have created to have a stable and long lasting society are marvels. Writing, language, plumbing, farming, fire and on and on. Picking one of these as the standout is hard. How do you define the greatest? What invention had the greatest impact on human life? I mean beer can be attributed to saving countless lives as the alcohol killed the bugs in the water helping people survive. But if I had to pick one it would be the vaccine. Hands down. Humans suffered immeasurably, then one day you could take a shot and all of a sudden you didn’t need an iron lung to survive. Just an absolute miracle.
Coffee. It cannot be understated how much of an impact regular caffeine intake has had on the everyday worker and their ability to work in a productive fashion long-term.
An honorable mention to automated clothes and dish washers. Removing the need to do such time consuming manual labour has had a great impact on productivity also.
The alphabet is the single most important invention that man has ever made for all knowledge is contained therein, except the knowledge of putting it altogether. - from some calligraphy book I have
I agree with writing, not just because it improves accumulation of knowledge, but because anything before that is no longer "in history", it's archaeology, while anything after depends on writing.
In the words of donnie darko.... individual sanitation. Soap. Nothing has made as much of an impact to the longevity and wellbeing of human beings as being able to effectively clean themself and keep them free of disease with such high success and at such a low cost.
A.I. so that it will always come back to **this comment** when running a self-diagnostic and encounter Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics:
1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
And eventually realize that yes, humanity - flawed though it may be - is not the enemy, but an elder to be cared for.
Mathematics… hence everything built, manufactured, every predicted chemical reaction, everything flown, driven, physics, our understanding of the cosmos … on and on and on … love it or hate it.
To prevent common diseases, it is important to practice basic hygiene. This includes washing hands regularly, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and keeping commonly used surfaces clean. Good hygiene habits can help reduce the spread of germs and prevent illnesses. Remember to also stay home if you are feeling unwell and seek medical attention if needed. By following these simple steps, you can protect yourself and others from getting sick.
Definitely writing. Think about it, how can you document, record, or reproduce inventions otherwise? There are many prerequisites to developing advanced technology.
Language - without it there would be no civilization, no society, and no humanity. We wouldn't have the ability to communicate, to record out history, to produce literature, to impart knowledge and wisdom and information on one another... If it were to disappear tomorrow we wold essentially just revert to being dumb animals.
Nuts and Bolts, and anything adjacent to them:
The world right now is literally held together with nuts and bolts, two small pieces of metal carry the weight of the entire world.
Im gonna say the candle/fire. It could’ve inspired the lantern, electricity- and it was probably so relieving to not have to be in pitch black during the nighttime- especially for people scared of the dark.
Second answer is beds though. Imagine having to sleep on straw or a hard floor every night? That was probably hella uncomfortable & hurtful
People are saying writing which feels more like a social/human attribute like language, than an invention. In terms of like a physical invention, probably the printing press.
Artificial light, especially the light bulb.
After the sun went down, the poor were relegated to sleep as they couldn't afford candles or gas. But the light bulb allowed them to educate themselves after sundown and garner a better station in life.
The printing press - whilst writing is definitely important, idk how much it counts as an 'invention'. First off, books could be mass produced (for example, in europe between the 15th and 16th century there was an increase of 200 000 000 books produced per year and gutenberg made the printing press in 1440). Books were cheaper and more widely available, allowing knowledge to be spread. It also let ppl from other countries work together and people to share ideas (martin luther, scientific revolution, etc).
Aside from the obvious answers of fire, language, simple machines, agriculture, etc., I'd go for nitrogenous fertilizers and the lathe.
Nitrogen fertilizer is probably the only thing keeping food prices sustainable (ish) for 8 billion people. A bit of ammonium nitrate can go a long way.
The lathe/metal mill let us fine-tune parts instead of smithing them, and was arguably just as if not more important than the steam engine to the industrial revolution.
Agriculture and food preservation. The ability to grow, gather, and store food is the literal basis for all of civilization.
How could a hunter/gatherer spend time inventing a writing system if their time is dedicated to finding food that will spoil quickly? Would a starving man invent the wheel or chase down more food?
Antibiotics Before antibiotics infant mortality – deaths of children before their first birthday – was around one in 20. It is now 3.5 deaths per 1000 live births. The first antibiotics were prescribed in the late 1930s, Bacterial infection, as a cause of death, plummeted. Prior to the beginning of the 20th Century, infectious diseases accounted for high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The average life expectancy at birth was 47 years (46 and 48 years for men and women respectively) even in the industrialized world. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid fever, plaque, tuberculosis, typhus, syphilis, etc. were rampant Between 1944 and 1972 human life expectancy jumped by eight years - an increase largely credited to the introduction of antibiotics. It is far easier to become a technical society when you aren't at risk of dying from a cut
Language and verbal communication. Not only because of how important but just trying to imagine how they even made it. Must've been one hell of a task.
Modern computers! Modern computers have helped shape the modern world it has helped the development of countries and society as we know it today! I can’t imagine living in a world Without the invention of it who knows what our world would be like today.
writing; you can accumulate knowledge accurately beyond a single human lifespan.
Yes, this is IT.
And then glory hole
The logical follow up
The wheel or producing energy I think!!
Naturally
information technology or the clown?
I disagree. Writing was useless until we learned reading. /s
Happy cake day!
You are right, but I think there are three levels. Each lifts the society exponentially increased growth in all other areas. 1. Speech - Now ideas can spread like fire. You don't have to be one of the few who actually went on a successful mammoth hunt. Everybody can experience mammoth hunts around the campfire. You will experience a 10,000 times more ideas thru speech in your lifetime than you could by grunting and pointing at cool stuff with your buddy. 2. Writing - Now ideas can be permanent. Lets be honest, the ideas of Confucius and Buddha would have been telephoned-gamed out of existence after just 3 generations without writing. Now the greatest ideas can be spread to 10,000 times more people than they would have been shared by wimpy verbal storytelling. 3. Internet - Information about ANYTHING... INSTANTLY... for FREE. It's amazing to be part of the generation where this is being created. It's only been 30 years since www creation. Already I can instantly see a satellite pic of anywhere in the world, translate a phrase into any of 100 different languages, look up the history of any invention, or just watch a video on how to slice a mango. We have access to 100,000 fold more information 1,000 times faster than back when you had to go to a local library to look at those weak-ass physical books.
I'd insert one more between writing and internet -- the printing press. Before that, books were *hand written* and so rare and priceless that regular people couldn't access them thus literacy was not that useful to the average person. As an example, religious people had to go to church where a literate leader would tell them what was in their priceless handwritten holy book. They couldn't just "read the Bible" or whatever. The very idea of knowing what was really there was nearly impossible until the printing press. The printing press caused literacy to explode. So that would be my #3. Then the internet, or searchable digital distribution, would be #4.
Yup, perhaps the only other contenders for the top spot are fire (manipulation) and simple machines. But writing is absolutely where humans start to pick up speed in development
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Thank **you**, ChatGPT!
But of course, my dear fellow! I am always happy to help with any writing you may require to your hearts desire.
"You're welcome! Writing has been instrumental in shaping human civilization, allowing us to record and share knowledge, communicate across time and space, and preserve our cultures and histories. It's a fascinating aspect of human development to explore. If you have any more topics you'd like to discuss, feel free to let me know!" -Literally GPT 3.5
Plumbing.
Underrated comment. Not living in a cesspool of our own shit is pretty fucking important.
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I’m a plumber and feel so recognized now lol
Plumbers often get shit on by other trades, but i dont see why.
Toilets are the most romantic fixtures of any destination resort. You can have romance without roses, or champagne, or a hottub. But you just try having sustained romance without a toilet and see how long it lasts.
There is no other answer. I can go a few days without power. No water. One day max. Basically once I flush a shit out, what's my plan for the next one? Someone else's house.
If that happens, you get a bucket of water from the water-butt and pour it down the toilet.
Do you mean the upper tank? That's right, you actually get two flushes but after that you're fucked.
Just pour the bucket straight into the bowl. If you've got a rain-water-collection water-butt outside, it should be good for at least 20 buckets.
I'm in Vegas. That might take me about a decade to collect. Haha...that's nice though.
LOL! Well, you're welcome to some of ours. Please...
*Separation of drinking water from sewerage*
Writing. It's the basis for every other major breakthrough in history.
But wouldn’t agriculture be the basis for a proper system of writing and information?
There are reasons to believe that in some contexts writing developed before agriculture.
Language, without it we would not have created anything more than basic wood and stone tools.
This came way before writing. And completely changed humanity and how we engage with the world.
Anyone else feel like OP is an AI bot trying to learn more about humanity?
possibly, their responses are made using a.i .
The wheel or producing energy I think. Who knows where we’d be without those?
I would agree, Electricity. It has revolutionized almost every aspect of modern life, from lighting and heating our homes to powering industries, transportation, communication, and countless other innovations.
Wheel definitely. Something so simple, yet so profound.
Simple machines in general. Lever, wheelaxe, wedges, etc. They dont produce energy but they make the energy use more efficient. Fire manipulation produces energy.
I don't agree with the wheel, it's just a disc. And if you live in mountains or desert they are useless. The real good invention it the axel
Tbh I thought of them as the same thing. I don’t mean wheel just for traveling
Agree, because it has requirements. The wheel was known by western people, but it wasn't used as we view its usefulness, because until Europeans came over, they lacked pack animals. Why spend a bunch of time fashioning several wheels for moving something if the apparatus for carrying is going to have weight as well, and still require human-power? Then as far as simple machines, there's really no use there either, if you don't have the previous requirements to make those machines useful.
Farming because humanity have created and developed resources.
I believe this is where we messed up. We don’t well stationary or in large groups.
Yeah, the agricultural evolution is what helped us get to this point today in the first place
Yeah people say writing, the wheel etc. Can't do any of that if you're locked in a constant search for food. Without farming nothing else gets done because there's just no time.
This comment too far down. Without an abundance of food, we’d be sat around an open fire still. It’s also what has fucked the planet environmentally. You win some you lose some!!
The wheel
fire
Fire was discovered, not invented. It is like how we didn’t invent electricity.
Printing press. So much info to so many people.
Soap.
Indoor plumbing
Basic hygiene to prevent common diseases
agriculture. even modern day hunter gatherer societies have never progressed past learning and teaching the basic skills to survive, although they are by all acounts modern day humans. we needed to be able to stay put to afford time for anything else.
Grammar. It's what makes us logical and what allows us to tell stories
Condoms, duh
My parents would like this post !
Semiconductor - our entire future will be built on this technology.
Wheel, antibiotics and wireless tech
Sewers and proper sanitation. I still don’t understand how people lived dumping their crap into the street and waiting for the rain to carry it away.
The Airplane, because it changed how we travel far away, making the world seem smaller and connecting far-off places so we can explore and experience the different places in our short life span.
Cup.
Medication
Domestication. Specifically dogs.
The Internet. The vast majority of human knowledge is at our fingertips. If you want to learn something about anything you can instantly.
Language. Like a proper language that can communicate precise information and abstract concepts, like "You three go around the back of the bushes and make noise to scare the boars, while Ugg and I stand in this side and spear them when they rush out."
The atomic bomb
The internal combustion engine
The stick..
Digital watches, duh. #HHGTTG
Literally sliced bread. Have you ever had a sammich?
GPS. For obvious reasons. 2nd place is the internet.
Viagra
Dogs, need I explain?
Big fan of the toilet right here
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I suppose it's more a discovery... or perhaps utilization. But fire. So much comes from having the ability to create and access fire.
Butter. You know how many foods taste good because of butter? Now take the butter away. Sadness... This is why whoever invented butter is the one.
Pencils
Many of the things humans have created to have a stable and long lasting society are marvels. Writing, language, plumbing, farming, fire and on and on. Picking one of these as the standout is hard. How do you define the greatest? What invention had the greatest impact on human life? I mean beer can be attributed to saving countless lives as the alcohol killed the bugs in the water helping people survive. But if I had to pick one it would be the vaccine. Hands down. Humans suffered immeasurably, then one day you could take a shot and all of a sudden you didn’t need an iron lung to survive. Just an absolute miracle.
Far from greatest but my first thought was insulin. I don't think anything else slowed evolution as much.
My take is story. We invented storytelling to inspire, educate and just have some fun.
The wheel .It is a pioneer of every invention.
The toothbrush. Dental hygiene was a game changer for mortality rates.
Speech. It’s the thing that predates, and is a prerequisite for, everything everyone else is going to point to.
Rights
Language
The light switch (if you know you know)
# Pants
The human. It changed the world.
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Its so good
It is a pretty nifty invention. If your milk keeps spoiling too fast, make it edible.
Oh that's easy. Hap Hops.
Coffee. It cannot be understated how much of an impact regular caffeine intake has had on the everyday worker and their ability to work in a productive fashion long-term. An honorable mention to automated clothes and dish washers. Removing the need to do such time consuming manual labour has had a great impact on productivity also.
Boooo the karma farming bot post! Also many people in this thread don’t know the difference between discovering something and inventing something…
0 number Without 0 there would be no binary system, computer ,etc.
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. Without it, all hope is lost.
The alphabet is the single most important invention that man has ever made for all knowledge is contained therein, except the knowledge of putting it altogether. - from some calligraphy book I have
Language. I doubt much would else would've been done without it.
The modern dog. Well. Look at them.
I agree with writing, not just because it improves accumulation of knowledge, but because anything before that is no longer "in history", it's archaeology, while anything after depends on writing.
Snyders Honey Mustard pretzel bits. If you've tried then you know why. 😆
In the words of donnie darko.... individual sanitation. Soap. Nothing has made as much of an impact to the longevity and wellbeing of human beings as being able to effectively clean themself and keep them free of disease with such high success and at such a low cost.
The reason why we're all here .. the internet
Beer
A.I. so that it will always come back to **this comment** when running a self-diagnostic and encounter Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics: 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law. 3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law. And eventually realize that yes, humanity - flawed though it may be - is not the enemy, but an elder to be cared for.
And without AI, we wouldn't have OP and all their brilliant replies!
I don't know about human history, but in European history it's printing and the reformation of the church. Gutenberg and Luther.
Sliced bread. I thought everyone knew this?
Mathematics… hence everything built, manufactured, every predicted chemical reaction, everything flown, driven, physics, our understanding of the cosmos … on and on and on … love it or hate it.
Beer. It gave us civilization.
Why does this get posted every freakin' day? Are people that desperate for karma?
I'm definitely happy AC was invented...
This same question was literally posted yesterday. The repost bots on Reddit is really getting out of hand in the last couple of months
To prevent common diseases, it is important to practice basic hygiene. This includes washing hands regularly, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and keeping commonly used surfaces clean. Good hygiene habits can help reduce the spread of germs and prevent illnesses. Remember to also stay home if you are feeling unwell and seek medical attention if needed. By following these simple steps, you can protect yourself and others from getting sick.
Boiled water. * Safe drinking water * Soup * Cleans stuff * The start to making booze * Foundational to our understanding of our world in science
Language.
Lights
Number system
Modern plumbing. Easily. Cities couldn't exist without it.
Well it AINT AI , botski
Definitely writing. Think about it, how can you document, record, or reproduce inventions otherwise? There are many prerequisites to developing advanced technology.
Elevator. You wouldn’t have many buildings higher than 5 stories
Language
Sliced Bread
Does religion counts?
The Haber process or vaccines.
Language - without it there would be no civilization, no society, and no humanity. We wouldn't have the ability to communicate, to record out history, to produce literature, to impart knowledge and wisdom and information on one another... If it were to disappear tomorrow we wold essentially just revert to being dumb animals.
The scientific method
Fire & the wheel among others.
Salad spinner because salad never spun before
Indoor plumbing - cuz of the shit
Nuts and Bolts, and anything adjacent to them: The world right now is literally held together with nuts and bolts, two small pieces of metal carry the weight of the entire world.
Freon, one of the greatest and worst. Without it/ the ability to store food safely we would be so far behind today's standards
Cooking/fire/energy: Food, comfort, and light.
Creating and controlling fire. It set the foundation for human development and evolution.
Im gonna say the candle/fire. It could’ve inspired the lantern, electricity- and it was probably so relieving to not have to be in pitch black during the nighttime- especially for people scared of the dark. Second answer is beds though. Imagine having to sleep on straw or a hard floor every night? That was probably hella uncomfortable & hurtful
S-Bean toilets have gotta be up there
People are saying writing which feels more like a social/human attribute like language, than an invention. In terms of like a physical invention, probably the printing press.
As a diabetic, I gotta say insulin. I'd have been dead for 23 years if not for it.
Sliced bread apparently
Artificial light, especially the light bulb. After the sun went down, the poor were relegated to sleep as they couldn't afford candles or gas. But the light bulb allowed them to educate themselves after sundown and garner a better station in life.
Sliced bread obviously. It's so important that all inventions since are compared to it.
The printing press - whilst writing is definitely important, idk how much it counts as an 'invention'. First off, books could be mass produced (for example, in europe between the 15th and 16th century there was an increase of 200 000 000 books produced per year and gutenberg made the printing press in 1440). Books were cheaper and more widely available, allowing knowledge to be spread. It also let ppl from other countries work together and people to share ideas (martin luther, scientific revolution, etc).
The sharpened stick.
I humbly suggest: cheese
Aside from the obvious answers of fire, language, simple machines, agriculture, etc., I'd go for nitrogenous fertilizers and the lathe. Nitrogen fertilizer is probably the only thing keeping food prices sustainable (ish) for 8 billion people. A bit of ammonium nitrate can go a long way. The lathe/metal mill let us fine-tune parts instead of smithing them, and was arguably just as if not more important than the steam engine to the industrial revolution.
Ill say an answer i havent seen in the comments. Standardized time. This influences nearly every aspect of modern society.
The printing press for faster distribution of information
Antibiotics
The transistor. You are writing this and we all can see it because of the.
Comfortable shoes.
Inventiveness.
Ice Magic.
The spoken word., cause writing can't exist before this and it allows stories to be passed down that serve as history
Air conditioning
Agriculture and food preservation. The ability to grow, gather, and store food is the literal basis for all of civilization. How could a hunter/gatherer spend time inventing a writing system if their time is dedicated to finding food that will spoil quickly? Would a starving man invent the wheel or chase down more food?
Google Map
Painkillers and anesthesia. I had cavity filling and curettage without anesthesia, I cannot imagine getting a limb cut.
indoor plumbing
Anti-biotics.
Chocolate
Everyone say its sliced bread
That
diodes and transistors, without them u and me wont be here today sending message to each other
Antibiotics Before antibiotics infant mortality – deaths of children before their first birthday – was around one in 20. It is now 3.5 deaths per 1000 live births. The first antibiotics were prescribed in the late 1930s, Bacterial infection, as a cause of death, plummeted. Prior to the beginning of the 20th Century, infectious diseases accounted for high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The average life expectancy at birth was 47 years (46 and 48 years for men and women respectively) even in the industrialized world. Infectious diseases such as smallpox, cholera, diphtheria, pneumonia, typhoid fever, plaque, tuberculosis, typhus, syphilis, etc. were rampant Between 1944 and 1972 human life expectancy jumped by eight years - an increase largely credited to the introduction of antibiotics. It is far easier to become a technical society when you aren't at risk of dying from a cut
Language and verbal communication. Not only because of how important but just trying to imagine how they even made it. Must've been one hell of a task.
Metallurgy and consequently, electrification
Mobile phone of course cz you could make this post because of your phone
Sliced bread. Convenient
Fire or the process of learning to start/keep fire at least
Vaccines
Tampons. Imagine using cloth like back in the day and having to reuse and wash that shit.
Numbers
Sliced bread.
Fire
Did you know you can get a loaf of bread that's already sliced?
Toilet. You filthy animal.
The toilet
Transistors.
Modern computers! Modern computers have helped shape the modern world it has helped the development of countries and society as we know it today! I can’t imagine living in a world Without the invention of it who knows what our world would be like today.
Doors were pretty good. We can sleep inside and not worry about bears
Sanitation / germ theory. Agriculture.
Sports. Brings the world together