What was history's most important breakthrough in technology? I have added a few options that came to mind. There are probably lot's of others I could have included, but I am only hman and thought of these.

By the way, I have not included the very basic inventions/breakthroughs like control of fire, woodcutting, mining alphabet and so forth. These are more the discoveries of about the last 1000 years.

what about the printing press?

Gunpower. No more pesky Central Asian invaders.

None of the ones listed. The most important inventions were agricultural. :)

Peniciline! no longer was man held at bay by -most- simple diseases!

Originally posted by SeleucusNicator
Gunpower. No more pesky Central Asian invaders.

Just a shame that it was not until c. 1868 that a weapon better than the Central Asian bows was invented (IIRC it was a special form of rifle). :D :p ;)

better in what respect? for sheer power I would think that one fo the various long bows must have been more powerful, and as for speed of release, it depends on the person fireing...

Just imagine the world if airplanes were never invented. Airplanes have an enormous impact on our life today, especially in terms of warfare, trade, and transportation. It proved that humans aren't limited to the ground and tops of the seas, as well as doing something humans could only dream of for thousands of years. It is one of the most remarkable and major inventions, in my opinion.

yes planes are remarkable and such, but are planes even half as important as say railroads? or the steam engine? no

Originally posted by Mongoloid Cow

Just a shame that it was not until c. 1868 that a weapon better than the Central Asian bows was invented (IIRC it was a special form of rifle). :D :p ;)

Well, it was artillery, iirc, that finally ended the days of large Middle Eastern empires being at the complete mercy of nomads.

Out of those steam power, followed by electricity.

Other. Printing Press.

Sanitation since it's the one of the main reason of the population boom of the beginning of the 19th century with also the agricultural revolution. Without that population boom, no industrial workers, thus no industrial revolution.

The Bow was superior overall in accuracy, distance, reload time and power than all the other weapons until the mid - late 19th Century.

A spoken language.

Definitly the Printing Press, it was the first step of the information revolution

Computer. It has revolutionized communication and the way information is sent more than anything else (except the printing press, but that isn't on the poll).

Electricity or Computers... or toilet paper... :hmm:

Originally posted by naervod
Computer. It has revolutionized communication and the way information is sent more than anything else (except the printing press, but that isn't on the poll).

But the idea of the computer wouldnt have been thought of without the printing press. The printing press started mass communication.

I would say human control of fire... but I'm not sure if that would count.

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV
I would say human control of fire... but I'm not sure if that would count.

He said he left out basic inventions. ;)

Originally posted by archer_007


He said he left out basic inventions. ;)

Whoops, that's what I get for not reading the beginning of this thread! :o Ok, I would say the invention of the paper clip is the most important.

Originally posted by Riesstiu IV


Whoops, that's what I get for not reading the beginning of this thread! :o Ok, I would say the invention of the paper clip is the most important.

Any reason why?

One major OOOOPPPSSSS!

Sorry guys, I left out the Printing Press!
It's a pity I can't edit this poll. Otherwise I would have included Pr Pr now.
By the way, I voted plastic. But pr press would score high in my top 5 too (so I can't see why I forgot to include that one). Plastic is the material used most and used in the most versatile way. How would you make a computer without plastic? Probably you could, but it would be difficult and it would be much larger. Imagine a lot of waterproof things without plastic. Planes, toys, cars, equipment, raincoats, and many many other common things around you. Just look at your desk (which could have a plastic coating): your PC has plastic, CD-cases, mouse, printer, headset, and so on.

It is very much arguable if it is the most important invention, but it is the one with the most common use. Probably a medicine (penniciline) would score highest in this poll eventually, but plastic should be in the top 3, if you ask me.

By the way, is there any American (or Californian) that heard of the 'award' for most promising medical scientist last september? It is given every 3 years in San Francisco. This year it was given to a scientist who discovered a way for epileptical people to cure their handicap. Just wondered if anybody heard of it.

Originally posted by rmsharpe
A spoken language.


The spoken language, the control of fire, agriculture and things like that are all basic inventions. How can you compare control of fire with computers? I said that in my first post here.

Cimbri makes a point :thumbsup: - I'll go with toilet paper or the flushing toilet.

Gunpowder, it enabled the Europeans (when they got it, I'm not saying they invented it) to conquer the New world, thus setting the scene for their rise to world importance, and eventually the rise of the USA.

Whoops, must've missed the second post.

Last thousand years? The printing press and steam engine fit well.

Originally posted by archer_007


Any reason why?

I wasn't being serious.

Who voted for the compass and why?
I added it because it was of course important for sailing and therefore a lot of European discoveries.
But I am just curieus who selected that above electricity or whatever.

The compass was responsibel for the huge increase of sailing. It allowed the English, Spanish, and Portuguese emipires to spread very rapidly, which of course affected the world hugely.

Other big ones are Sanitation, Gunpowder, and Printing Press.

The compass was responsibel for the huge increase of sailing. It allowed the English, Spanish, and Portuguese emipires to spread very rapidly, which of course affected the world hugely.

Other big ones are Sanitation, Gunpowder, and Printing Press.

Sheesh, what a tough question! I'm saying radio. Allowed instant communication for the first time.

Glasses (and contacts).

Need a reason? One day just stop and count how many people who wear them. This a testament to a signifigant portion of the population who have bad vision.

Telegraph/telephone. Just imagine computers without communications lines hooking them up. Imagine no phone, and communications with faraway cities conducted solely by shuttling letters or computer disks back and forth by jet aircraft. :crazyeye:

Electrification - not electricity itself but the residential/industrial electrification network. Way ahead of steam power.

The screw. Not so ancient as one might guess.

Perhaps the most important ones are agricultural. What is important after all? Eating, or having new ways to cook?

Originally posted by Sean Lindstrom
Telegraph/telephone. Just imagine computers without communications lines hooking them up. Imagine no phone, and communications with faraway cities conducted solely by shuttling letters or computer disks back and forth by jet aircraft. :crazyeye:

Electrification - not electricity itself but the residential/industrial electrification network. Way ahead of steam power.

The screw. Not so ancient as one might guess.

Perhaps the most important ones are agricultural. What is important after all? Eating, or having new ways to cook?


Food is of course the most important. But most revolutionary developments concerning food were done in early history, like control of fire, domestication, agriculture itself and so on.

Originally posted by Tavenier
Food is of course the most important. But most revolutionary developments concerning food were done in early history, like control of fire, domestication, agriculture itself and so on.

Not at all. The agricultural advances that hit Europe (first of all the Dutch) in the 16th-17th century made the Mercantile and consequently the Industrial Revolution possible. The use of multiple crops on the same field alone allowed the Dutch merchant class to quickly triple from 10% to 30% of the total workforce.
And that is before fertilizer, mechanics, pest-control, refrigeration and (modern) genetic modification.

Originally posted by Ribannah


Not at all. The agricultural advances that hit Europe (first of all the Dutch) in the 16th-17th century made the Mercantile and consequently the Industrial Revolution possible. The use of multiple crops on the same field alone allowed the Dutch merchant class to quickly triple from 10% to 30% of the total workforce.
And that is before fertilizer, mechanics, pest-control, refrigeration and (modern) genetic modification.



I know all that and it was very important, but in my opinion by far not the most influental development of the last 1000 years.
And you are talking about advances, not an advance. So more in general than a single thing. When you say agricultural advances it is like saying medical, industrious, communicational advances. Not very specific, while the things listed in the poll are quite specific.

If it's a matter of life or death, I'd say that's pretty influential! Agriculture is directly responsible for the 6 billion people alive today, all of them. Of course the fact of their existance must be more important than any other qualities of life.

Agriculture's such a biggy in the greater picture, that even broken into hundreds of smaller advances, each one's a huge boon to humanity. We don't even compare it to other developments; it's in a class of its own.

The condom, the anti-baby-pill etc.

Originally posted by Sean Lindstrom
If it's a matter of life or death, I'd say that's pretty influential! Agriculture is directly responsible for the 6 billion people alive today, all of them. Of course the fact of their existance must be more important than any other qualities of life.

Agriculture's such a biggy in the greater picture, that even broken into hundreds of smaller advances, each one's a huge boon to humanity. We don't even compare it to other developments; it's in a class of its own.


You are missing the point. Of course food is a matter of life or death. But if one of any of the agricultural changes did not take place then there maybe would be less people today (which would be a GOOD thing actually), but the people of that time wouldn't die without it. What you don't know you don't miss. Of course you are going to name examples of famine which could be prevented by more modern farming advances, but the Pest, World Wars and disasters caused millions to die too, but the world isn't a worse place then before, and sometimes even better.
All the advances you name are all improvements of the ancient agriculture, developed thousands of years ago. Better equipment, better waterworks, better techniques, fertilizer, and so on. So if this was a poll on advances throughout all history agriculture would win easily, but now it doesn't stand a chance, because it is just improvements on existing concepts.
And if it is a class of its own then why bring it up here and name it the most influental invention?

Originally posted by Ribannah
None of the ones listed. The most important inventions were agricultural. :)

Agriculture, undoubtably. It revolutionized every aspect of human affairs. It pushed for the creation of the first cities, kick-started astronomy, mathematics, more elaborate language. Surplus spurred trade, social differentiation.

By inventing agriculture, man invented WORK.


For the future, the greatest inventions will be genetics and robotics. These will be the things that will render WORK useless.

Originally posted by Aphex_Twin


Agriculture, undoubtably. It revolutionized every aspect of human affairs. It pushed for the creation of the first cities, kick-started astronomy, mathematics, more elaborate language. Surplus spurred trade, social differentiation.

By inventing agriculture, man invented WORK.


For the future, the greatest inventions will be genetics and robotics. These will be the things that will render WORK useless.



Man, this is hopeless...............
It is said often in this thread that it should be an invention of THE LAST 1000 YEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So not an invention that made the first cities possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then you shouldn't have put Steampower in the list. It was invented in ancient Greece. :)

The multi-crop cycle is probably the most influential Agricultural advance of the last 1000 years (the method of interplanting, that inspired the Dutch, is probably from slightly before 1000 AD).
Like I said, it tripled the non-agricultural workforce.

I vote birth control, it has utterly changed the dynamics of the world we live in - and made it more fun.

Of the ones listed: sanitation, it has probably done more to improve the human condition than the others and has saved the most lives.

Originally posted by Ribannah
Then you shouldn't have put Steampower in the list. It was invented in ancient Greece. :)

The multi-crop cycle is probably the most influential Agricultural advance of the last 1000 years (the method of interplanting, that inspired the Dutch, is probably from slightly before 1000 AD).
Like I said, it tripled the non-agricultural workforce.



The Greek (wasn't it it the Romans by the way?) invention of steampower was not revolutionary, becasue all they did with it was have doors opened by steampower to impress others.

Tripled the food output in some areas? More people is good? :)
I said in the last 1000 years, not 1004 years!!! ;)

Sanitation was present in ancient Rome, so that drops. Steam power also counts.

The compass was invented in China in the 3rd century BC, so it also falls short.

Gunpowder dates from the 8th century. :eek:

:p

Originally posted by Aphex_Twin
Sanitation was present in ancient Rome, so that drops. Steam power also counts.

The compass was invented in China in the 3rd century BC, so it also falls short.

Gunpowder dates from the 8th century. :eek:

:p


Yes, yes, yes, what else is new. Everybody on these forums knows that eg gunpowder was invented well before the Europeans start using it.
I thought about stating all that info behing all answers in the poll. But I thought that nobody would think to try and be smart and say stuff like this. I thought no one would bore the forum with that. But here we go again:
I mean the inventions/DEVELOPMENTS in the time they were used on a grand scale and changed the world. Fireworks in China did not change the world, only the lives of some upset evil spirits who were chased away.

Have you heard of a PC game called Civilization 3? In the tech tree of that game the advances are shown in about the chronological order they were important in history.

Originally posted by Tavenier
Tripled the food output in some areas?
Arithmetic is hard ....

Some effects (simplified):

[1]
Old situation: 90 farmers 10 merchants
New situation: 70 farmers 30 merchants

The new merchants had nothing to do so they built ships and funded explorations.

[2]
No starvation -> people live longer and healthier

[3]
More children -> population grows -> settlers / enough people to support an industry, excess merchants switch to industrialists

More people is good? :)
What does that have to do with the topic? :rolleyes:

I said in the last 1000 years, not 1004 years!!! ;) I believe the Dutch golden age is not 1004 years ago yet but I could be mistaken ...

Originally posted by Tavenier
Have you heard of a PC game called Civilization 3? In the tech tree of that game the advances are shown in about the chronological order they were important in history.
Ah, now I get it. You found a new holy book. :)

Originally posted by Ribannah

Arithmetic is hard ....

Some effects (simplified):

[1]
Old situation: 90 farmers 10 merchants
New situation: 70 farmers 30 merchants

The new merchants had nothing to do so they built ships and funded explorations.

[2]
No starvation -> people live longer and healthier

[3]
More children -> population grows -> settlers / enough people to support an industry, excess merchants switch to industrialists


What does that have to do with the topic? :rolleyes:

I believe the Dutch golden age is not 1004 years ago yet but I could be mistaken ...




Life for the Dutch is one big golden age! :lol:


I don't agree completely with point 2. Starvation still occured, because there were more people and because nobility often rather sell the grain then to feed citizens.
And I think with the age of exploration came the time of healthier living. Purely because people started to eat different kind of foods, instead of just grain and dairy. The potato is probably the most common food from the new world, but also tomatoes, corn, rice, spices, exotic fruits, different types of vegetables and so on.


Point 1 I do agree with fully. If you can produce more food with less people then the other can specialize in other things like construction, warfare, religion, production etc.

Originally posted by Tavenier
And I think with the age of exploration came the time of healthier living. Purely because people started to eat different kind of foods, instead of just grain and dairy. The potato is probably the most common food from the new world, but also tomatoes, corn, rice, spices, exotic fruits, different types of vegetables and so on.

That is, indeed, also important. To be even more correct, perhaps, I should list the order like this: :)

(a) Arabia controls the trade with the far east
(b) Europe seeks new trade routes over sea, finds new worlds
(c) America offers new foods and new farming techniques
(d) Europe grows the new foods
(e) The Dutch, and after them the English, adjust their farming techniques (whereas some others don't and have food shortages while trying to keep up in trade)
(f) The Mercantile Revolution is started in The Netherlands
(g) England follows suit and starts the Industrial Revolution

Originally posted by Tavenier
Yes, yes, yes, what else is new. Everybody on these forums knows that eg gunpowder was invented well before the Europeans start using it.
I thought about stating all that info behing all answers in the poll. But I thought that nobody would think to try and be smart and say stuff like this. I thought no one would bore the forum with that. But here we go again:
I mean the inventions/DEVELOPMENTS in the time they were used on a grand scale and changed the world. Fireworks in China did not change the world, only the lives of some upset evil spirits who were chased away.

"Inventions developed in the last 1000 years".

People 100 years from now will say : "Meh, what did those people back in 2004 did with computers anyway? Computers were invented TODAY !" ;)

Electricity, hands down. Without it our civilization collapses. EVERYTHING in modern life relies on electricitiy and electricity has opened the gates to countless new developments. The world after electricity is wholly different than the world before it.

Originally posted by Pirate
Electricity, hands down...

Substitute "Electricity" for "The Grid", and I'm with you.

***

Tavenier. You're saying there have been no great, Earth-moving developments in agriculture for the last 1000 years? I don't get it. I can give examples like the combine or the seed drill, I can point to the "infertile" Canadian prairie shunned by farmers just 100 years ago (as if that makes a difference :rolleyes: what do you eat, may I ask?), but it seems you'll lump all agricultural developments into one single "invention" like say, the singular unelaborated "invention" of "machines", "weaponry", or "religion". You'd be shocked if I said, "Oh well the development of Protestantism is meaningless, for Christianity covers that already."

Just a little agricultural development like the broadcast seeder (a sort of seed machine gun) had the effect of freeing up hordes of young men from agricultural toil. They then proceeded to the front lines, to man gatling guns. Now which development really shaped history?

Agreed. However, I believe agriculture is in a class of itself and otherwise is deserving of another thread.

Tavenier is not saying that there has been no Earth-moving developements in agriculture. I believe the focus is a more civ-esqe way of looking at developements/invnetions.

And come to think of it...Pirate has a very good point.

Capitalism as the main mode of production.

Originally posted by covok48
Agreed. However, I believe agriculture is in a class of itself and otherwise is deserving of another thread.

Tavenier is not saying that there has been no Earth-moving developements in agriculture. I believe the focus is a more civ-esqe way of looking at developements/invnetions.

And come to think of it...Pirate has a very good point.


Thanks covok, I indeed did not say there weren't any earth moving developments. As a whole agriculture was, is and always will be the most important aspect of human life. I tried to make clear that not any single aspect of agriculture could compete on its own with something like electricity or plastics.
You could not say that the invention of the CD-ROM, printer, windows, mouse and others are the best invention. But you could say that computers as a whole are.


You could indeed start a whole new thread on agriculture. Maybe you should, could be interesting.

Originally posted by Tavenier
I tried to make clear that not any single aspect of agriculture could compete on its own with something like electricity or plastics.

That is first of all a matter of grouping and naming.
Second, in the bigger picture I don't think Electricy and Plastics are that important. Sure, they are everywhere today, but there are plenty of alternatives. For instance, computers can be built that are mechanical, hydraulical, optical or biological, instead of electronical.

Several advancements in agriculture, the press, the aplications of steam engine, the transistor and the pill.

Steam Power, Printing Press and one not so obvious: not the invention, but regular use of clocks in the late medieval

Originally posted by Ribannah


That is first of all a matter of grouping and naming.
Second, in the bigger picture I don't think Electricy and Plastics are that important. Sure, they are everywhere today, but there are plenty of alternatives. For instance, computers can be built that are mechanical, hydraulical, optical or biological, instead of electronical.


I was just saying it to compare it.
And I still think that at least in the modern times plastics is the best invention IMHO. A lot of you would disagree and have rockhard reasons to support electricity, compass or computers, but for me the choice just is plastics. You can find many alternatives for the inventions mentioned, but plastics would be very difficult to replace. What is waterproof, easy to make, cheap, light weighted and so extremily versatile?

I'm thinking that perhaps the most important invention was written language. This is how we started communicating complex ideas, and not just to each other; to our ancestors.

Originally posted by mintyfreshdeath
I'm thinking that perhaps the most important invention was written language. This is how we started communicating complex ideas, and not just to each other; to our ancestors.



Maybe except for some very primitive tribes, it has been invented well before 1000 years ago! :)

And then still alphabet comes after the first agriculture revolution IMHO.

Originally posted by Tavenier
You can find many alternatives for the inventions mentioned, but plastics would be very difficult to replace. What is waterproof, easy to make, cheap, light weighted and so extremily versatile?
Wood, for one :)

Only two grades of craftsman can make something flimsy out of wood, though;) . Flimsiness helps drive the economy.;)

There's not much plastic can do that some other material can't do equally well at comparable cost.

Perhaps we should give credit not so much to the materials, like stainless steel, vinyl, synthetic rubber and glass, but to the manufacturing innovations that make these things available: die-casting, extrusion, centrifugal casting, plus all the automated processes done on sheet goods like shearing, folding, stamping, etc.

Just imagine a world where extruded forms (i.e. wire) didn't exist, or were hand-made centimetre by centimetre.

Originally posted by Ribannah

Wood, for one :)


A wooden coat when it rains?
:)

From the list I vote for steam power: crucial for the start of the Industrial Age and most of the other inventions on the list wouldn't exist without it
otherwise: control of fire, first scientific breakthrough ever!

Originally posted by Tavenier



A wooden coat when it rains?
:)

I think most consumers agree the best raincoats today are still made with rubberised canvas. That could be synthetic rubber (e.g. polyurethane, my personal favourite) or natural rubber. We may as well give "plastic" the credit for that. Oiled or tarred cloth, or oiled skins like leather serve well enough, the main detraction being their greasy smelly drab old fashioned look. But fashion distinctions shouldn't enter this debate, so I'll stop.

Originally posted by Tavenier



A wooden coat when it rains?
:)

Although I fail to see the significance to the human civilization: even that is possible, yes. The Iroquois wore wooden body armor, it's not a big step to make that a raincoat if you so desire.

Originally posted by Ribannah


Although I fail to see the significance to the human civilization: even that is possible, yes. The Iroquois wore wooden body armor, it's not a big step to make that a raincoat if you so desire.



Yes, it is.
Try to ride the bike to work with a wooden, eh, jacket? This is just silly.

Well just try riding bareback to war in wooden...

OK.

***

Maybe we shouldn't try pinning down specific materials as breaking developments. People once chipped glassy stones to use as terrible knives, but of course the innovation was in the chipping - the manufacture - not the stone's composition.

You could say plastics are a new material, true, but it's really the manufacturing know-how that makes plastic available.

I don't ride to work in plastic jacket either. ;)

The more relevant invention is Atomic Theory.

Originally posted by Ribannah
I don't ride to work in plastic jacket either. ;)



I do, I live in Holland.................... :cry:


I do agree somewhat with the statement about how to make those new materials. I think of all new materials plastic is the best and most common nowadays, but you could say that making these products is the best invention. Then you broaden the development, making it even more important.

Most influential invention of all time is a tough one...

As for non-agricultural developments/inventions, I'd say: Interchangeable Parts. Partly because nobody else has said it (that I've seen), partly because most all of the other options proposed make use of them, and partly because they contributed so much to industrialization.

the printing press, of course, alongside writing and the interent.

Originally posted by soren
the printing press, of course, alongside writing and the interent.


Printing press would score high, but not 'of course". In the end it is just a faster way of writing.

Plastic, in its various uses if very versatile, but for jackets it could be replaced by leather. A plane is just, really, a glider with engine(s) attached. You forgot to mention controlled nuclear power and the internal combustion engine. You could also add liquid fueled rockets, without which, satellites would be impossible, and the microchip could replace the computer, since it is far more versatile, eg. calculators, cellphones, modern computers, moddern radios, modern TVs, etc.

Originally posted by soren
and the interent.


Is that a tree moving halflings across continents? :lol:

I vote for the compass because navigation has been the greatest contribution to humankind out of all those choices. Without it, think of how different the world would be and what may have been lost or hidden forever

Bright day

Agricultural improvements were inroduced in quite modern times too. I know from my history that cousins Veverkas invented "ruchadlo" plow that not only dug into groung but also turned land- thing that had to be made separately before. Also modern cultivated plants and animals field MUCH more food than older types.

May all your day be bright.

EDIT: Veverkas were cousins not brothers

Plastic. Take everything using plastic out of your house. What do you have left?

Read the rest of posts. Many apologies. Without agriculture I have to for electricity.

Puglover- in cases of houses I know- lot of bricks and stone and wood and metal.

The invention with the most impact today seems to be electricity. I cannot see how modern societies can function without it - notice the chaos and helplessness not to mention danger when there is a blackout.