Mankind’s Greatest Inventions
By Duane Hewitt
If you ever find yourself getting down on mankind, cheer up! As a race we’ve invented some pretty cool things from the wheel to the alphabet to the computer. We’re always busy inventing something new and innovative. The value of many of mankind’s greatest inventions changes with each new era; and, with each new era there are new inventions to suit the needs of that particular time. And yet many of our greatest inventions remain with us; being fully integrated into our very existence. In no particular order, the list includes…
- The ability to create fire;
- Early tools and hunting weapons;
- The wheel;
- Language;
- The alphabet;
- The written word;
- Paper;
- Gunpowder;
- Mathematics;
- Music notation;
- Penicillin;
- Insulin;
- The mirror;
- The clock;
- The lightbulb;
- The telephone;
- The compass;
- The nail (screws too, maybe);
- The pencil (pen, too!);
- The printing press;
- The steam engine;
- The washing machine;
- The combustible engine;
- The jet engine;
- The air foil (wing);
- Electricity;
- Refrigeration;
- The transistor;
- The LED (light-emitting diode);
- Nuclear fission/Nuclear energy;
- Nanotechnology;
- Optics (lenses, microscopes, and telescopes);
- Contraceptives (no need to be embarrassed);
- Braille;
- Radio;
- Television;
- The computer;
- Rockets (Rocket engines; the Saturn Rocket);
- The space shuttle;
- The space station;
- The Internet;
- The Hadron Collider;
- Oh… and you!
Feel free to complete the list – And please keep in mind that certain items like the wheel include parts like the inner flange to the wheel even though only the wheel is stated. (It’s like including shoelaces with shoes.) The same goes for computer; it’s understood that computers have operating systems and require software. As well, some of the claims here could be deemed “discoveries” as opposed to “inventions.” It does create some gray areas. And please note that politics and religion were not included – after all, God help us, we do want to be politically correct!
And here’s a thought: Have you given thought to inventions that we don’t know about yet because they remain so secretive? Now that’s spooky.
Copyright 2017 Duane Hewitt. All rights reserved.
