The greatest breakthroughs since the wheel, according to The Atlantic
The top 3 according to 6 votes from people: The printing press · Optical lenses · Paper. (Updated Apr 23, 2019.)
In 2013, The Atlantic asked historians, scientists and engineers to pick the 50 greatest innovations since the wheel. These are the top 30. Which one changed the world most?
Automatically translated (original in Português). See the original
Top 30
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1
The printing press
Gutenberg and movable type, around 1440.
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2
Optical lenses
Glasses, microscopes and telescopes.
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3
Paper
Invented in China almost two thousand years ago.
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4
The steam engine
The engine of the Industrial Revolution.
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5
Nuclear fission
Discovered in 1939: power and the bomb.
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6
The sextant
For working out your position at sea by the stars, since 1757.
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7
Electricity
The power behind almost every other modern invention.
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8
Penicillin
The first antibiotic, discovered by Fleming in 1928.
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9
Semiconductor electronics
The transistor and the chip, the basis of the digital age.
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10
The internal combustion engine
Cars, planes and farm machinery.
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11
Vaccination
Since Jenner's smallpox vaccine in 1796.
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12
The internet
Born in the 1960s as a military and academic network.
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13
Nitrogen fixation
The Haber-Bosch process, which feeds half the world with fertiliser.
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14
Sanitation systems
Sewers and clean water: millions of lives saved.
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15
Refrigeration
Food that keeps and cities in hot places.
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16
Gunpowder
Invented in China and decisive in every war since.
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17
The airplane
The Wright brothers' flight in 1903.
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18
The personal computer
A computer in every home from the 1970s on.
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19
The compass
It made open-sea navigation possible.
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20
The automobile
It changed cities and the way we live.
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21
Industrial steelmaking
Cheap steel for rails, bridges and skyscrapers.
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22
The pill
Approved in 1960, it transformed women's lives.
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23
The green revolution
Seeds and methods that multiplied harvests in the 20th century.
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24
The telephone
Bell's patent in 1876.
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25
Alphabetization
A simple way to organise information.
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26
The telegraph
The first instant long-distance messages.
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27
The mechanized clock
It measured time and organised work.
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28
Radio
News and music on the air since the early 20th century.
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29
Photography
The image fixed for the first time in the 19th century.
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30
The moldboard plow
The plough that turns the soil and opened new farmland.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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