This blog post will outline what I think
are the top 10 inventions. These are not arranged by significance.
I think the top 10 inventions are:
1.
Money/Currency
What
and Why: Money refers to a unit of exchange that is a store of value.
However, money is ultimately a human construct that facilitates exchange. It is
backed by the issuing government and has had its value tied to gold, before our
current floating rate regime.
When:
Evidence of some form of barter and exchange regime dated to the Roman Empire,
but fully developed floating regime occurred around 1970s when Nixon delinked
the dollar from gold.
Source:
Prior knowledge from multiple business/finance classes
2.
Global
Capital Markets, GCM (Stock Exchanges)
What
and Why: The global capital markets refers to the worldwide interconnected
system of monetary exchange and forms of raising capital through debt and
stock. GCM has allowed companies to grow at fast rates as they are able to sell
shares and borrow money from the public (retail investor) and even select
private sector companies.
When:
Late 19th century (E.g. Chicago mercantile exchange in 1898)
3.
Steam
Engine:
What
and Why: The steam engine made it possible to convert power from coal to
cost effective application to boats, trucks, and trains. It allowed humans to
tap into energy of stored natural resources when we previously were limited by
the energy of photosynthesis (the sun).
When:
1700s
Source:
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/11/innovations-list/309536/
4.
Refrigeration
What
and why: Refrigerators have significantly impacted the availability and
storage of food, prolonging the storage of foods, especially fresh food. This
increases our breadth for food choices, our diets, and our eating habits.
When:
The early 20th century. Chemical refrigerants became widespread
in the 1920s.
Source:
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-inventions-changed-world/
5.
Automobile:
What
and why: Automobiles facilitated faster transportation and allows us to
travel to places safer / faster.
When:
The Ford Model T (early 1900s) increased demand for cars due to effective
marketing, but the production process also revolutionized manufacturing due to
the application of specialization, interchangeable parts, and other streamlined
production techniques.
Source:
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-inventions-changed-world/
6.
Internet
What
and Why: The internet is a network of computers that allow access to almost
any information any time. It spearheaded the information revolution; now
information can be readily accessed and can be applied to education, disease
prevention, research, etc.
When:
Originally made for the military in the late 1960 (as DARPA)
Source:
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-inventions-changed-world/
7.
Computers
What
and why: Computers take information and manipulate it to create new output.
They can make mathematical calculations at speeds faster than humans and has
numerous applications in research, business operations, hospitals, and numerous
other cases.
When:
1800s computing devices were created, but electronic computers invented in the
20th century
Source:
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-inventions-changed-world/
8.
Telephone:
What
and Why: The telephone has improved our communication significantly and
permits long distance interaction between people in very far geographical
regions. It “converts voice and sound signals into electrical impulses for
transmission by wire to a different location where it is turned back to voice.”
When:
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone in 1875
Source:
http://inventors.about.com/od/famousinventions/tp/topteninvention.htm
9.
Printing
Press
What
and why: The printing press is really important because it allowed the mass
distribution and led to the democratization of information, as books had to be
hand copied previously. This has knock on effects on knowledge, education, and
scientific progress.
When:
Johann Gutenberg in the 1430s
Source:
http://www.geniusstuff.com/blog/list/10-inventions-changed-world/
10.
Agriculture
What
and why: Agriculture is ultimately a human construct that has allowed
humans to stay fixed in one place rather than stay as nomadic hunter gatherers.
Agriculture is key to economies today and is being increasingly more mechanized
and “efficient.”
When:
Before Roman times, ancient civilizations.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_agriculture
So these are the top 10 inventions.
