What has been most important to humans
 

Here's one list of the top 100...

100. Cow milking machine
99. Screw
98. Video camera
97. Scalpel
96. Flashlight
95. VCR
94. Electric guitar
93. Zippo lighter
92. Microphone
91. Escalator

90. Walkie Talkies
89. Whiskey still
88. The automatic dishwasher
87. CRISPR (DNA)
86. Electric chair
85. Anesthesia
84. MP3
83. Contact lenses
82. DVD player
81. Home microwave

80. Corn
79. Mobile phone
78. Mechanical computer
77. Gramophone
76. HDTV
75. Pocket matches
74. Waterwheel
73. Air conditioning
72. Sanitary napkins
71. Pasteurization

70. Elevator
69. Noose
68. Concrete
67. Space Shuttle
66. Super 8mm film camera
65. Cotton gin
64. Night vision goggles
63. Chemotherapy
62. Printing press
61. The web

60. Television
59. Satellite
58. Jet engine
57. Radar
56. AR-15 gun
55. Radio
54. Steam train
53. Mechanical clock
52. Eyeglasses
51. Ball

50. Canned food
49. GPS
48. Electronic computer
47. Axle
46. Automobile
45. Oil refining
44. Scissors
43. Birth control pill
42. Compass
41. AK-47 gun

40. Condom
39. Still camera
38. Internal combustion engine
37. Antibiotics
36. Sailboat
35. Mechanical refrigerator
34. Cast iron
33. Pencil
32. Fork
31. Chopsticks

30. Moveable type
29. Oil lamp
28. Guillotine
27. Sewing machine
26. Irrigation
25. Horse saddle
24. Longbow
23. Axe
22. Spinning wheel
21. Windmill

20. Airplane
19. Handgun
18. Dam
17. Telephone
16. Spear
15. Microscope
14. Prozac
13. Swords
12. Electric light
11. Gunpowder

10. The internet
9. Sewer system
8. Transistor
7. Steel
6. Plow
5. Telegraph
4. Electricity
3. The wheel
2. Fire
1. Nuclear weapons

Arch? Water treatment? Rolling papers? Bong?

Electric chair but no wheelchair?
Ball but no bail (of either kind)?
Lever? Tweezers?

Fleshlight?

Hitachi Magic Wand?

Pizza!

WTF Noose?

Three execution tools.

Noose's inclusion especially highlights the absence of "rope".

Electric guitar is an odd bias. If you're going to pick one instrument, the piano is far and away the king, for all of humanity. It's a fine instrument on its own, but also, it's the instrument that all composers used for centuries. It's the instrument which laid out music theory for everyone who's ever studied it.

Bruce, what is the source on this?

I recently posted that, maybe "God is comprised of the patterns that we let influence us the most. Whereas nature-worship or ancestor-worship would have one made more sense, what would today's God be?"

Reading this list, I'd conclude our God is weird as ƒuck.

*image from Paprika

Loom?

Prozac higher than birth control? Wouldn't need nearly as much of the first if we had more of the second...

It was a list I wandered into from a daisy chain of links, can't tell you where it was. He was rating them on their impact on mankind, good or bad, but like all these end of year lists it's subjective opinion, which I figure is tweaked to generate maximum traffic.

So I didn't save the address or his reasoning, anyone trying to prove him wrong just generates more traffic. I figured the list alone was entertaining, makes me wonder where his head is at. If it's important I'll keep an eye out for it.

Fire and the wheel. Nuclear weapons has no place on that list :/

I kinda thought the same way, at first.

But the bomb actually saved a lot of lives. And has deterred who knows how many bloodbaths.

I wonder about number 51.

The ball?

I wonder if they meant 'sphere'?