What do you think is the greatest invention of the last 2000 years?

Question

I remember very little from HS but something I do remember and think will stick with me is a Nova documentary my history teacher showed us. It was titled something like "The greatest inventions of the last 2000 years" (move was made in 2000) or something like that. We had a diccusion afterwards and many said it was the automobile, electricity, telephone, airplane, computers or TV. I disagreed I think it is the printing press, why? because even with automoblies, electricity, phones, airplanes, computers and TV, if the printing press was not invented, would be even have those right now and even if we did the knowledge wouldn't be so widespread. Many people who were alive during the time the printing press was invented couldn't read or were read to them by their priest. So many goods things came from this one invention.

What do you think is the greatest invention of the last 2000 years and why?

orginally printing press didn't use electricity. Electricity was not widely (if at all used to power machines) in use 1450.

Answer 1

~The general consensus by anyone with a mind who has addressed the question for the last century has agreed that Gutenberg's printing press tops the list. Not that he invented the press, the Chinese had done that centuries before, but because of his use of movable type. That little twist, more than anything else, brings man to where he is today. In a century or so, people will fully understand the significance and import of the Internet (at least for those who use it constructively) and the net will be the most significant of the current millennium. Followed closely by Enzyte and Viagra.

Answer 2

I think that electricity was discovered, not "invented".
Objects used to habor electricity were invented and things to use electricity were invented.. but not the concept of "electricity"

I think that 2000 years covers alot of terf. Maybe you should shorten it to the greatest invention of modern times or the last decade or something. There are tooo many great inventions that occured in the last 2000 years to just name one.

I do however enjoy the use of my computer and all the things that go with it so I can communicate and view and research data and things faster than I could of considered doing years ago.
:P

Answer 3

The greatness invention hands down would be the wheel. Without the printing press and most of the things we enjoy today would not exist.
Let the past inform your present. Everything you are today is a result of who you were yesterday. Dare to look back.

Answer 4

Digital Camera

Answer 5

The History Channel ranked the printing press as the most important invention. I tend to agree. Electricity is incredibly important, too. And because I'm lazy, I must give credit to the washing machine!

Answer 6

The Printing Press is certainly up there. I think the microprocessor is probably up there as well, but we're too close to it history-wise to truly appreciate it.

Another major invention of the last two hundred years is the sewage line. It has enabled larger cities to grow. I don't know if you'd consider a sewage line a big deal, but just try having one break down! You'll be in trouble in a hurry.

Answer 7

bcptm has it exactly. The printing press with movable type allowed the wider and more rapid spread of knowledge, reading became a more common and needed skill, books were translated into many languages, and knowledge was permanently preserved.

Answer 8

The Chinese invention printing press was a very important invention. So were many more Chinese inventions such as paper, resturaunts, and gunpowder. Electricity is also very important. Without electricity, it will be harder to make things work.

Answer 9

Radio Wave Activity Is Only The Greates Discover Of Mankind Ever And Will Always Be Forever And Ever "RADIO" Nothing New! Master Of All Able Paul!

Answer 10

The printing press was an important invention to be sure, but you also have to bear in mind that it sowed the seeds for several centuries of religious warfare in Europe, between the Protestants and the Catholics. I would call it a precursor technology, it was an important stepping stones to greater inventions, but it, in and of itself, has a mixed result in history.

electricity has been said, but I would say the invention of alternating current outshines the first actual useful application of electricity. Were it not for AC, electricity would be cost-prohibitive. AC made long distance transportation of electricity possible, thus giving the masses affordable electricity.

I would say that the greatest invention of the past 2000 years was the invention of human liberty. For much of history the idea was that some men were born to rule, and the rest were born to obey. If God didn't want someone to rule men, he would not have allowed them to be born into a position of authority. This all changed when the doctrine that all men possess inalienable rights was put forth, and the people started to realize that there was no reason to remain enslaved to the aristocracy.

In our history books, we read the stories of kings and emperors, and think of progress. However, for the common man, standards of living in 1700's France was little different from standards of living for ancient Egyptians in 1000 B.C. It was only with the rise of human liberty, first by the Americans in the late 18th century, then by the French in the early 19th century, that standards of living for the common men began to rise dramatically. A medieval peasant would not have felt out of place in 1800 France. But a commoner in 1800 France would have been in a dramatically alien place in 1900 France.

Human liberty was the greatest invention of the past 2000 years.