Your top three inventions of ALL TIME

[Crono]

Good points, agreed about refrigeration and canning, which are very important today, but not as important as cooking with fire. Drying and fermentation (including pickling) foods are also noteworthy preservation methods for allowing travel and settlements to develop, as well as surviving harsh seasons.

Bread (also closely linked to beer; often breweries and bakeries co-developed because of yeast used for both, as in the case of Ancient Egypt) is a biggie invention. A delicious, delicious invention...mmm.

 

[Paladin3]

Good points, agreed about refrigeration and canning, which are very important today, but not as important as cooking with fire. Drying and fermentation (including pickling) foods are also noteworthy preservation methods for allowing travel and settlements to develop.

Bread (also closely linked to beer; often breweries and bakeries co-developed because of yeast used for both, as in the case of Ancient Egypt) is a biggie invention. A delicious, delicious invention...mmm.

Bread. If I had to pick a last meal it might just be a few good breads and some cold butter. Sourdough and a nutty wheat.

 

[Crono]

Bread. If I had to pick a last meal it might just be a few good breads and some cold butter. Sourdough and a nutty wheat.

Love sourdough, and wheat (spelt in particular). I need to start making my own sourdough breads.

 

[SKORPI0]

Here's a nice documentary I watched during the late 70s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)

Connections is a 10-episode documentary television series and 1978 book (Connections, based on the series) created, written, and presented by science historian James Burke. The series was produced and directed by Mick Jackson of the BBC Science and Features Department and first aired in 1978 (UK) and 1979 (USA). It took an interdisciplinary approach to the history of science and invention, and demonstrated how various discoveries, scientific achievements, and historical world events were built from one another successively in an interconnected way to bring about particular aspects of modern technology. The series was noted for Burke's crisp and enthusiastic presentation (and dry humour), historical re-enactments, and intricate working models.

 

[Crumpet]

Electricity
Personal Computers
The Internet

 

[Crono]

Here's a nice documentary I watched during the late 70s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(TV_series)

The premise and description are intriguing. Bookmarked the book version on Amazon for later purchase.

 

[Ken g6]

Thinking it over way too much I decided on these:

1. The scientific method. Most of those discoveries (as opposed to inventions) people have been touting in this thread came from this.

2. Writing. Without writing we wouldn't be able to remember our discoveries or inventions for very long. The scientific method could have been discovered and forgotten a dozen times before we invented writing to record it and its results.

3. The heat engine (of which the steam engine is an example). I'd say there's a good argument that the heat engine allowed the abolition of slavery. Back to Roman and Egyptian times, cheap energy required slave labor, until the heat engine was developed. (There were animals too, but their energy was more expensive.) Heat engines provide the majority of our energy now - although that's changing with renewables. Also, if you run an ideal heat engine in reverse, you get a heat pump, for things such as air conditioning and refrigeration.

 

[Rifter]

1. Transistors
2. Electricity
3. Lasers