03-07-2004, 02:58 PM | #42 (permalink) |
Go Cardinals
Location: St. Louis/Cincinnati
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How come people do not know the difference between "invention" and "discovery"? Electricity, fire, and sticks were not invented, they were discovered. If you counted discoveries you would have to say food before electricity.
So for the greatest invention I will list several as they are equally, or almost equally, important: Wheel Computers Telephone Plastic (as someone mentioned above; almost all food is stored in plastic; medicine, etc.)
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Brian Griffin: Ah, if my memory serves me, this is the physics department. Chris Griffin: That would explain all the gravity. |
03-07-2004, 03:22 PM | #45 (permalink) |
Condition: Stable and Improving
Location: Finger on the little red button.
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I think Omar already said it, but the answer is 'Antiseptics'
I don't know why that's the answer, except that I remember watching a movie or something, where they a school age guy what the greatest invention of the millenium was or something like that, and the answer was antiseptics.
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03-07-2004, 04:31 PM | #46 (permalink) |
I'm not about getting creamed, I'm about winning!
Location: K-Town, TN
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Before I entered the thread, my answer was the wheel.
Now that I've read the thread, my answer is language.
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03-07-2004, 06:07 PM | #48 (permalink) |
Desert Rat
Location: Arizona
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I think it's the automobile personally. Sure there were many other influential inventions out there that changed the paradigm, but could you imagine the world without cars? having to take trains to get everywhere? I for one would hate the world without cars.
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"This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is it vestige of the vox populi, now vacant, vanished, as the once vital voice of the verisimilitude now venerates what they once vilified. However, this valorous visitation of a by-gone vexation, stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin vanguarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition. The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive, not in vain, for the value and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous. Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction, and so it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V." - V |
03-07-2004, 08:30 PM | #52 (permalink) | |
Junkie
Location: In the land of ice and snow.
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Agriculture, as lebell pointed out, made civilization viable. I think it could be said that if not for agriculture, most inventions wouldn't exist. It made engineering possible, since it allowed food production to be put in the hands of, relatively, small group of people. In doing so other people were freed up to pursue other things like invention. That being said, language is pretty freaking big too. |
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03-07-2004, 09:58 PM | #53 (permalink) |
Comment or else!!
Location: Home sweet home
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Hmm...I'm surpprised no one picks money yet....So I'll change my mind about the stick and pick MONEY!! Where would be we without that precious medium of exchange?
Would you agree that it's both the cause and solution to all our problems?
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Him: Ok, I have to ask, what do you believe? Me: Shit happens. |
03-08-2004, 07:19 AM | #59 (permalink) |
Nothing
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Language.
The one and only answer. Though, another answer most definitely could be Baileys haagen daaas ice cream. MMmmmmm....
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"I do not agree that the dog in a manger has the final right to the manger even though he may have lain there for a very long time. I do not admit that right. I do not admit for instance, that a great wrong has been done to the Red Indians of America or the black people of Australia. I do not admit that a wrong has been done to these people by the fact that a stronger race, a higher-grade race, a more worldly wise race to put it that way, has come in and taken their place." - Winston Churchill, 1937 --{ORLY?}-- |
03-08-2004, 10:05 AM | #62 (permalink) |
Dumb all over...a little ugly on the side
Location: In the room where the giant fire puffer works, and the torture never stops.
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the greatest invention of humanity is easily, and obviously, the blowjob.
ok, seriously, I've always thought that the machined screw was one of the best, and yet most overlooked, inventions.
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He's the best, of course, of all the worst. Some wrong been done, he done it first. -fz I jus' want ta thank you...falettinme...be mice elf...agin... |
03-08-2004, 10:56 AM | #63 (permalink) |
Omnipotent Ruler Of The Tiny Universe In My Mind
Location: Oreegawn
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The first cave man who hit a bone on something, creating a reverberating sound, being the first drum, and the beginning of man made music.
Not so life-shattering, but my favorite invention nonetheless
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Words of Wisdom: If you could really get to know someone and know that they weren't lying to you, then you would know the world was real. Because you could agree on things, you could compare notes. That must be why people get married or make Art. So they'll be able to really know something and not go insane. Last edited by mystmarimatt; 03-09-2004 at 04:16 PM.. |
03-08-2004, 11:41 AM | #65 (permalink) |
Junkie
Location: Sydney, Australia
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I agree with hu-man about beer.
First brewed in 10 000 BC, beer encouraged the development of agriculture and society and ended the hunter-gatherer phase of the human race. Most importantly though, we forget that for much of human history, water was a rather dangerous thing - source of dysentary and cholera. The very act of forming communties, cities and towns made water sources contaminated. Beer provided fluid sustenance and nutrition without the risk of death. Hail the brewers who wrote the US constitution. Hail aqua vitae - the water of life. |
03-08-2004, 08:05 PM | #66 (permalink) | |
Minion of the scaléd ones
Location: Northeast Jesusland
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Quote:
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Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns. Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life. |
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03-09-2004, 01:21 AM | #67 (permalink) |
Oh dear God he breeded
Location: Arizona
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Jst spent 4 years in Japan, and they have the greatest invention ever, hands down. Coffee in a can from a vending machine. You know how many times this simple little thing saved my life, or at least my paycheck, by keeping me up for the midwatch? There is nothing greater in the world.
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Bad spellers of the world untie!!! I am the one you warned me of I seem to have misplaced the bullet with your name on it, but I have a whole box addressed to occupant. |
03-10-2004, 04:49 AM | #70 (permalink) | |
Rawr!
Location: Edmontania
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Quote:
edit: to all those with a "language" answer- How did anyone "invent" language? All animals have some form of communication with one another that could be termed as a language of sorts, and some of these communications are really quite complex. Human language is merely the evolution of grunts and squacks into a greater vocabulary. I don't think any one ancestor invented language when he made up a new grunt for tree, or clouds. Language of a sort has been with up for hundreds of thousands of years, perhaps millions. (if you believe that darwinian evolution stuff)
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"Asking a bomb squad if an old bomb is still "real" is not the best thing to do if you want to save it." - denim Last edited by skier; 03-10-2004 at 04:55 AM.. |
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03-10-2004, 08:44 AM | #74 (permalink) |
will always be an Alyson Hanniganite
Location: In the dust of the archives
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The greatest human invention, of all time...the sharpened stick. Without it, we never would have been able to overcome natural obstacles, like the Sabre Tooth Tiger, that had to think twice about his dining choices. It was...the first manufactured weapon.
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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony "Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt. |
03-10-2004, 01:06 PM | #75 (permalink) |
Psycho
Location: Lubbock, TX
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I would have to agree with Language. Without it we would not have been able to achieve any of the other inventions/discoveries. It allowed early man to communicate so that he could share his ideas and methods.
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Caffeine - the molecule of life. |
03-10-2004, 02:31 PM | #78 (permalink) |
Addict
Location: P-Town, WA
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The wheel begat kinetic energy, which begat electricity...........
the wheel = $$$
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Old signature just wasn't doing it for me anymore, so now I have this new one. It's equally as stupid but at least it looks really long. I'm probably just going to keep typing until I run out of things to babble about and see how many people actually read this. I once ran down a hill, fell down and hurt my elbow; my mom said I would be ok, she kissed it and made it all better. I've run out of things to say now, so if you have read this whole thing, congratulations you get a gold star! |
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greatest, human, invention, time |
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