

Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of mankind? - no_gravity

So far I got...<p>year / invention<p>-2000000 Stone tools<p>-1000000 Using fire<p>-6000 Metal tools<p>-6000 Agriculture<p>-4000 Writing<p>1550 Printing<p>1888 Telephones<p>1888 Cars<p>1903 Planes<p>1941 Penicillin<p>1941 First computer<p>1982 Homecomputers<p>1983 Mobile phones<p>1990 The internet<p>2001 Wikipedia<p>2004 Facebook<p>2007 Iphone
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charonn0
The iPhone? Seriously? On the same list as agriculture and fire?

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no_gravity
I put iphone there as a short form of "mobile internet".

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charonn0
I don't think there's been nearly enough time to determine whether the
internet, mobile or otherwise, as we now understand the concept will have a
_lasting_ (e.g. centuries or millennia long) influence. It probably will, but
it hasn't demonstrated that yet.

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aorshan
The Wheel is probably pretty important. Also I would argue the transistor is
pretty up there. As would be the nuclear bomb.

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RollAHardSix
I'm really tired so I'm sorry for not expanding. Dynamite.

Lightbulb.

Tool Manufacturing (wide-spread use of tools has grown COUNTLESS industries).

Educational Institutions (College but obviously others as-well)

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marquis
The needle. It allowed humans to hunt and live in cold climates. (disclaimer:
watching Andrew Marr's History of the World. It's got everything you need in
there).

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abhijat
The spear should have been pretty important for human history as one of the
first (if not the first) ranged weapons.

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irunbackwards
Railroads & Freight Shipping (by sea) are probably key ones to include.

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no_gravity
Both probably evolved gradually, so it might be hard to give it an invention
date.

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irunbackwards
Sorry, was proposing both as one kind of. I didn't realize there was a term
for it.

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermodal_freight_transport>

IIRC, this is what made it cheaper to mass produce overseas, definitely a huge
impact on industry.

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charonn0
The domestication of livestock and beasts of burden.

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charonn0
Speech and non-verbal linguistic communication.

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no_gravity
I would suspect that speech can hardly be given an invention date. As it
gradually evolved. Did apes speak already?

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charonn0
The origin of human speech is obscure and may never been known with any
exactness or certitude. However, language has been known to develop nearly
spontaneously in human groups:
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandt...](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/nicaragua/1471947/Deaf-
children-invent-a-new-sign-language.html)

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Lionga
Money

