The all time winner is the basic hand held rock. Almost makes paperclips look hi-tech by comparison. Wait, they are hi-tech by comparison!
If I’m hungry or being threatened on the savannah, I’ll take a rock in my hand over a paperclip anyday. And when you’re done beating the crap out of your food/enemy, you get to say …
Og, smash!
I once read somewhere about a letter that appeared in a magazine years ago in response to an article about the evolution of paper clips. The writer of the letter insisted that his research “proves conclusively that the paper clip is merely the larval stage of the wire coat hanger.”
Top Ten Best Inventions
What I love about the paperclip is, it having been invented by a Norwegian, the Norwegians clipped them onto their lapels as a symbol of resistance against the Nazi occupiers.
Also, Nemo, it’s largely accepted that language wasn’t really an invention per se, for the same reason that walking upright isn’t either. Writing was, of course. What was #11?
Cat’s eyes. “Let’s stick some glass marbles in a block of rubber and have one of these every thirty yards up the middle of the road.” How many lives has that saved?
coughAvramDavidsoncough
Eyeglasses. The lenses are a separate issue. But the creation of eyeglass frames that balance on your nose and ears, and give you steady, clear vision, plus hands-free operation, is truly a beautiful thing.
Shoes are fairly simple… and where would we be w/o them?
The twist tie.
It can do everything from keeping your bread fresh to toilet repair and more.
I’d consider language something more than just communication. Other animals can grunt out a couple of dozen messages from instinct but only humans can pass on abstract information.
And “Paper” is #11.
I seem to have forgotten why he did it, so can anyone please enlighten me. Did he make it on purpose or did he he just do some threedimensional doodling and suddenly saw what it could be used for?
Paperclips pale next to the seamless majesty of Binder Clips.
You can wear them on your nose, toes and earlobes. You can clip bags of chips closed with them. You can hang them easily from thumbtacks. They hold piece of paper without puncturing them, and binderclips are much easier to remove than paperclips. You can play with them for hours.
Binderclips are wildly popular. Have you ever asked anyone for paperclips? No, you always ask for binderclips because someone has stolen all of yours. When you use binderclips you belong to an exclusive club that paperclip users can only dream of.
Besides, MS Word uses the paperclip! 
One more thing about paperclips( I just learned this in General Questions a few minutes ago), you straighten them out and use them to release your CD when you have no power to the drive. 
V
I’m reading this now. As summarized by Petroski, the development of the knife is both remarkably simple and amazingly complex. It’s basically the same now as it always has been (sharp edge and non-sharp place to hold it), but the evolution from “fractured hunk of flint” to the modern knife is amazing. Just one of the many things we take completely for granted.
How long would that be?
(Well someone had to ask)
In most cases, a little longer than the piece you have at hand.