# The Greatest Inventions in History **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 17, 2002, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190 "2002-04-17T18:36:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/21 "2002-04-18T01:33:32Z")
The McCormick Harvester. Wheat can only be harvested during a limited period. Wait too long, & it is useless. Even with all the help he can find, & working 18 or 24 hour days, a farmer using hand tools can only plant & harvest enough wheat to feed 2.5 families, besides his own. The speed of McCormick’s Harvester means that a farmer could plant & harvest enough wheat to feed **10** families. This horse-drawn harvester gave Man the leisure to seek other things besides subsistence agriculture. And almost nobody knows about it. How unjust. :mad: ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4da419/32.png) [@Gala\_Matrix\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gala_Matrix_Fire)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/22 "2002-04-18T02:52:08Z")
I’m with **Zoggie** : birth control. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/23 "2002-04-18T02:53:23Z")
Fingernail clippers. ---
**Author:** ![Jibby7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/65b543/32.png) [@Jibby7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jibby7)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/24 "2002-04-18T03:08:32Z")
I’m going to have to toss in a third vote for BEER. ---
**Author:** ![5\_time\_champ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/278dde/32.png) [@5\_time\_champ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5_time_champ)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/25 "2002-04-18T03:27:15Z")
2nd vote for air conditioning ---
**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/26 "2002-04-18T05:38:56Z")
The centerfire metallic cartridge with smokeless powder. You have any idea how hard it is to kill somebody with a pointy stick? ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/27 "2002-04-18T11:06:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by funkynige \* > \*\*Mathematics - without it there’d be no computers, CDs, etc. \*\* Take it a step further back: The concept of **zero** Gp ---
**Author:** ![tetsusaru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@tetsusaru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tetsusaru)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/28 "2002-04-18T11:54:31Z")
Glass. Think about it. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/29 "2002-04-18T14:17:24Z")
God/Gods/Religion ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/30 "2002-04-18T17:50:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*The McCormick Harvester. > > Wheat can only be harvested during a limited period. Wait too long, & it is useless. > Even with all the help he can find, & working 18 or 24 hour days, a farmer using hand tools can only plant & harvest enough wheat to feed 2.5 families, besides his own. > > The speed of McCormick’s Harvester means that a farmer could plant & harvest enough wheat to feed > **10** families. > > This horse-drawn harvester gave Man the leisure to seek other things besides subsistence agriculture. > > And almost nobody knows about it. > > How unjust. :mad: ☹ \*\* [hijack] This is very left field, but would the person who invented that have anything to do with the McCormick line of spices?[/hijack] I would have to say the telegraph & telephone are up there, right along with… Beer 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![NutMagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@NutMagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutMagnet)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/31 "2002-04-18T19:14:03Z")
The thermos. What??!!? All that does is keep hot things hot and cold things cold! Yeah, but how does it know? ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/32 "2002-04-18T19:33:19Z")
Um…are you really asking? It just inhibits heat transfer. Either the warmth of the room into your cold beverage, or the heat of your coffee into the cooler room air. Heat flows “downhill” (from areas of greater concentration to lesser) unless prevented by an insulating material. But you knew that, right? ---
**Author:** ![Kilt-wearin\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/82dd89/32.png) [@Kilt-wearin\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilt-wearin_man)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/33 "2002-04-18T20:18:40Z")
A big reason for Beer getting all the votes - it played a big part in the transition from hunter/gatherer to farming. “Hey, Ugg, this stuff’s tasty! Oh, I see, if I start planting crops, I can have my own beer? I am SO there!” ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2002, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/34 "2002-04-18T20:41:30Z")
Two quick notes: -The Aztec empire, if I understand correctly, was built without the use of wheels. Children’s toys had wheels, but no practical tools did. Sure, they were no Los Angeles, but they were a relatively complex civilization for their time. -Family rumor has it that my great-uncle invented an automatic bread slicer, but that the patent was stolen from him by his boss. My brush with fame… While not on the same level as the wheel, the alphabet, or beer (how come beer isn’t a tech advance in CivIII?), the internal combustion engine, the airplane, and the assembly line are pretty nontrivial. ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/35 "2002-04-19T01:31:26Z")
Nutmagnet, you beat me to it. Bastard! So I’ll chime in the 4th vote for BEER. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/36 "2002-04-19T01:53:27Z")
I’m gonna go with warp drive…what’s that? Uh huh…ooooohhh…you mean that’s _not_ real? Well that’s just great. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/37 "2002-04-19T02:32:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > **-Family rumor has it that my great-uncle invented an automatic bread slicer, but that the patent was stolen from him by his boss. My brush with fame…** My great-grandfather invented the individually-wrapped slice of cheese, which I have seen posited as a potential Greatest Invention of Human History. My vote for greatest invention: cooked food. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/38 "2002-04-19T03:49:30Z")
Silicon transistor Steel Paved roads A&W Cream Soda ---
**Author:** ![Neptune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@Neptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptune)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/39 "2002-04-19T03:57:33Z")
Walls Og: Gee, if I could be inside, while the tigers were outside, maybe they wouldn’t eat so many of my family members? Ag: What mean you “inside”? ---
**Author:** ![Merrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Merrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merrin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190/40 "2002-04-19T04:16:42Z")
To go with all the posts for beer, I have to add alka seltzer (oh and Bloody Marys). Merrin [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-greatest-inventions-in-history/104190.md?page=3)