Never underestimate the power of human innovation.
I mean, after all, some brilliant person came up with air conditioning, right?
And what the hell would we do without that?!?!
I don’t even want to think about it…
AskReddit users talked about what they think are the greatest inventions in human history.
Let’s take a look.
1. A huge one.
“Electricity.
You never realize it’s value until you lose it.
Texan here- that snow storm made me realize how difficult it is without electricity.”
2. Good point.
“Written language. The ability to accurately pass down knowledge.
Anyone who has played the telephone game knows that oral stories are easily altered.”
3. Absolutely.
“Vaccines and modern medicine.
I truly appreciate not having to d** from smallpox or an infected blister or a cracked tooth.
It blows my mind when I think about how recent a development this is in the span of modern human existence.”
4. Flight.
“Airplanes.
We defied evolutionary biology and made physics our b**ch.”
5. Amen!
“Refrigeration.
Spend a few weeks without it and you see how important it is.”
6. Farming.
“Agriculture and farming tech in general.
Not everyone is aware of the amount of extremely high quality food we can produce through modern farming.
300 years ago the produce we have for the cheap every single day at the supermarket wouldn’t even have been available once at the table of the richest kings of the world.”
7. The Long Peace.
“The nuclear bomb.
It’s why we no longer have wars between major countries.
It may sound ridiculous but we’re currently living in the most peaceful era in human history, since the end of WWII.
It’s called the ‘Long Peace’.”
8. I’m with you!
“Air conditioning.
No questions asked.”
9. Talk to me.
“Language.
Being able to communicate complex ideas between individuals and generations is the first thing that separates us from other animals, and permitted the development of complex culture.”
10. Interesting.
“Water vessels.
The ability to transport large quantities of water, and consume them quickly without spilling is, in my opinion, the factor that differentiated us from other beings. Ever get too little water? Massive headache.
Our brains need water to thrive at the levels that we use them. Without a vessel, like a cup or bowl, we would be drinking out of streams or pools of water, both inefficient mechanisms.
Ever seen a dog drink? Splashes everywhere and takes a (relatively) long time when compared to a human chugging from a glass.
Stay hydrated, friends.”
11. Passed down.
“Storytelling/mythology/Archetypes that pass morals and guidelines down through the generations and build societal structures/nations for humanity to flourish.”
12. Wizardy.
“GMOs.
Mess around with some genes and just… eliminate famine, essentially?
GMOs are legitimately wizardry, like we’ve reached Clark’s 3rd law territory.”
13. Thankful for it!
“The pointy stick.
No longer were we to be food for the animals, but the animals food for us. They have carried us through the ages from spears, to arrows, bullets, pencils, syringes. All used to propel humanity forward. Be it through wars, writing, art, or medicine. The pointy stick has held us through.
In 1969, we strapped 3 men to the top of the greatest pointy stick ever devised, and with the best throwing technically ever convinced. We sent them to the moon.
May the pointy stick be with us now, and into the future.”
How about you?
What do you think is the greatest invention ever?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
