What is the greatest invention EVER???

What is the greatest invention man has ever built?

  • The Wheel

    Votes: 29 37.2%
  • Writing

    Votes: 37 47.4%
  • Currency (i.e. Banknotes, Coins, Credit Cards)

    Votes: 13 16.7%
  • Toilet

    Votes: 11 14.1%
  • Paper

    Votes: 12 15.4%
  • Gunpowder

    Votes: 11 14.1%
  • Camera & Photography

    Votes: 9 11.5%
  • Printing Press

    Votes: 26 33.3%
  • Manned flight (i.e. Hot Air Balloon, Airplane)

    Votes: 12 15.4%
  • Steam Engine

    Votes: 15 19.2%
  • Personal communications (i.e. Telegraph, Telephone)

    Votes: 14 17.9%
  • Light Bulb

    Votes: 15 19.2%
  • Automotive trasport (i.e. Cars, Trucks, Tanks)

    Votes: 14 17.9%
  • Mass communications (i.e. Radio, Television)

    Votes: 13 16.7%
  • Computers

    Votes: 22 28.2%
  • Laser

    Votes: 12 15.4%
  • The Internet

    Votes: 22 28.2%
  • Underwear

    Votes: 9 11.5%
  • Time measurement instruments (i.e. Clocks, Calendars)

    Votes: 14 17.9%
  • Space transportation (i.e. Rockets, Moon buggies)

    Votes: 16 20.5%
  • PASTRY!!!!!!

    Votes: 15 19.2%

  • Total voters
    78
  • Poll closed .
I'd have to go with Nuclear power plants, but maybe the Large Hadron Collider as well.


If you really meant, "the most influential", I'd probably go with paper or moveable type printing.
 
Well, of these it's writing, but I'm not sure if that counts as one invention. It's like saying the industrial revolution was one invention.
 
For humanity: wheel, writing, printing press, steam engine and light bulb.
 
The technologies that led to the ability to make fire on demand.

Mostly it's basic physics (friction, conservation of energy) and basic chemistry (ratios) and a lucky find of reagents.
 
The wheel: it gives you chariots.

Oh, wait this isn't the Civ I forum...
 
The wheel gave us and our belongings mobility
Writing gave us records and stories
The printing press gave us public literacy and mass communication
The steam engine gave us "horsepower"
The light bulb extended our days
 
pi, or pies
 
Writing can't really be counted as one invention, since it went through many stages(cave paintings, glyphs, alphabet, standardized characters). That would be similar to having transportation as an invention(walking, wheel, animal powered, steam powered, combustion powered).

I would say that the printing press was the greatest invention. While other inventions were great, no other invention has changed the entire world so radically within the first 20 years since it's invention.
 
Until we have a firm definition on 'invention' and 'greatest', this question can never really be answered...
 
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