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

Posted by no_gravity on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:07PM
from the ask-hn dept.

So far I got...

year / invention

-2000000 Stone tools

-1000000 Using fire

-6000 Metal tools

-6000 Agriculture

-4000 Writing

1550 Printing

1888 Telephones

1888 Cars

1903 Planes

1941 Penicillin

1941 First computer

1982 Homecomputers

1983 Mobile phones

1990 The internet

2001 Wikipedia

2004 Facebook

2007 Iphone

( 15 comments | 3 points | on HN )

Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by charonn0 on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:13PM (#4780945)

The iPhone? Seriously? On the same list as agriculture and fire?

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by no_gravity on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:19PM (#4780968)

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

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by charonn0 on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @08:19PM (#4781540)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by aorshan on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @08:05PM (#4781501)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by RollAHardSix on Wednesday November 14, 2012 @12:05AM (#4782092)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by marquis on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @07:49PM (#4781457)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by abhijat on Wednesday November 14, 2012 @03:53AM (#4782562)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by irunbackwards on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:12PM (#4780931)

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

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by no_gravity on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:24PM (#4780986)

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

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by irunbackwards on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @06:40PM (#4781256)

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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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by charonn0 on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @09:00PM (#4781673)

The domestication of livestock and beasts of burden.

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by charonn0 on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:14PM (#4780949)

Speech and non-verbal linguistic communication.

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by no_gravity on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @05:21PM (#4780974)

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

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by charonn0 on Tuesday November 13, 2012 @08:18PM (#4781535)

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...

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Re:Ask HN: What where the key inventions in the history of m... by Lionga on Wednesday November 14, 2012 @04:41AM (#4782687)

Money

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