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

irunbackwards | karma 2298 | avg karma 5.31 · 2012-11-13 22:12:06+00:00

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

no_gravity | karma 2245 | avg karma 5.68 · 2012-11-13 22:24:09+00:00

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

irunbackwards | karma 2298 | avg karma 5.31 · 2012-11-13 17:40:15

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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charonn0 | karma 1954 | avg karma 2.78 · 2012-11-13 22:13:53+00:00

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

no_gravity | karma 2245 | avg karma 5.68 · 2012-11-13 22:19:32+00:00

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

charonn0 | karma 1954 | avg karma 2.78 · 2012-11-14 01:19:41+00:00

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.

charonn0 | karma 1954 | avg karma 2.78 · 2012-11-13 22:14:42+00:00

Speech and non-verbal linguistic communication.

no_gravity | karma 2245 | avg karma 5.68 · 2012-11-13 22:21:13+00:00

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

charonn0 | karma 1954 | avg karma 2.78 · 2012-11-14 01:18:02+00:00

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...

marquis | karma 2793 | avg karma 2.2 · 2012-11-14 00:49:42+00:00

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).

aorshan | karma 785 | avg karma 2.76 · 2012-11-14 01:05:18+00:00

The Wheel is probably pretty important. Also I would argue the transistor is pretty up there. As would be the nuclear bomb.

charonn0 | karma 1954 | avg karma 2.78 · 2012-11-14 02:00:19+00:00

The domestication of livestock and beasts of burden.

RollAHardSix | karma 241 | avg karma 0.85 · 2012-11-14 05:05:10+00:00

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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abhijat | karma 194 | avg karma 1.46 · 2012-11-14 08:53:02+00:00

The spear should have been pretty important for human history as one of the first (if not the first) ranged weapons.

Lionga | karma 950 | avg karma 3.29 · 2012-11-14 09:41:13+00:00

Money