Greatest invention in history?

Science.

If that doesnt count as a specific invention, I would say computers.

i agree. computers have turned this planet around and we are well on our way to unbelievable things.

Yes computers are great, but how did we get to computers, computer is the best invention of the last 100 years, but the best one is yet to come, a car that runs on Hydrogen.

i believe that someone said mathematics and i agree because without mathematics we probably wouldn't have written language,computers,cars,medicine,anything....so i renig on my answer that written language was the greatest invention and say that MATH(even though i absolutely hate doing math) is the greatest thing to ever happen to humans.

You people should listen to yourselves. Most of those inventions you've listed are but the frivolous attempts of man and his "impudent science" to improve his own lot materially or financially.
The greatest invention that man could ever acheive is Quantum Language,
which simply put is: "The ability to read and write any of the 5000 odd languages in 250 countries on Planet Earth, and the simple Mathematical Formulae for the conversion of the same, which allows any language to be read both forwards and backwards, therefore creating absolute TRUST between ALL Nations".
If you could ALL just open your eyes and keep your egos out of the equation, you would realise the implications of such a Formula for ALL citizens of this amazing planet....think about it! No War, No Famine, No Injustice anywhere!................But you people can't get past your beer, computers, and 600 channel TV's, and your SUV's.
These are NOT inventions, they are nothing but digressions from what really matters..Clean Minds, Clean Hearts, Clean and Healthy bodies.
You would rather not hear the Truth about anything!
"Thomas Edison invented the light bulb" "Benjamin Franklin was a great man"....What a load of rubbish!!!
If Nikola Tesla were alive today, he'd probably punch Edison's lights out!
If you knew what Benjamin Franklin really did to America, you'd probably dig him up and punch out his lights as well!!
Have a nice day ALL of you sheep!

what a JERK!!!! this coming form probably the sweetest person on this site!!! everyone has done "bad" things......yeah tesla included. you don't have to come on this benign thread and pummel peoples' heros...especially if you have nothing worthy to add. if you're in a bad mood...go somewhere else,don't poke fun or irk the other intelligent,creative,members of ats. have a NICE day!

The toilet is the greatest invention.

Easily, the greatest invention is written language.

Originally posted by blueymorgan
You people should listen to yourselves. Most of those inventions you've listed are but the frivolous attempts of man and his "impudent science" to improve his own lot materially or financially.
The greatest invention that man could ever acheive is Quantum Language,
which simply put is: "The ability to read and write any of the 5000 odd languages in 250 countries on Planet Earth, and the simple Mathematical Formulae for the conversion of the same, which allows any language to be read both forwards and backwards, therefore creating absolute TRUST between ALL Nations".
If you could ALL just open your eyes and keep your egos out of the equation, you would realise the implications of such a Formula for ALL citizens of this amazing planet....think about it! No War, No Famine, No Injustice anywhere!................But you people can't get past your beer, computers, and 600 channel TV's, and your SUV's.
These are NOT inventions, they are nothing but digressions from what really matters..Clean Minds, Clean Hearts, Clean and Healthy bodies.
You would rather not hear the Truth about anything!
"Thomas Edison invented the light bulb" "Benjamin Franklin was a great man"....What a load of rubbish!!!
If Nikola Tesla were alive today, he'd probably punch Edison's lights out!
If you knew what Benjamin Franklin really did to America, you'd probably dig him up and punch out his lights as well!!
Have a nice day ALL of you sheep!

Having read this, it is apparent to me that you seem to neglect to mention two fundamentals that would even make this discovery possible. These are things that have been mentioned countless times in this thread: language and math. Without these, your "invention" wouldn't be possible.

That said, I ask you, how is an invention dependent on two previous inventions more important than the ones that made it possible?

I'm sticking to what I said about the writing instrument being the greatest of all inventions.

Everything that we have today, someone thought of and wrote their ideas down on paper (or a clay tablet, papylrus, or chalkboard).

It would be nearly impossible to build anything or convey any ideas in an efficient way without a writing instrument.

The electronics for a computer was first drawn out on a piece of paper.

The theory of a LASER was first put down on paper.

Airplanes, rockets, television, automobiles, trains, cranes, ships, was initially an idea jotted down on a piece of paper.

If there is anything that is equal to the significance of the writing intrument it will have to be pi.

Just my opinions on the subject.

Intel out.

Comedy is the greatest invention ever. Where would we be withough Gallagher

The Wheel - final answer

Allowed,Affected, and/or Improved: transporation, agriculture, industrialization, medicine, etc.

Nothing has yet to fundamentally replace it at least until micro-replusor-lifts are perfected.

I doubt mankind could have leaped from dragging things one day to airlifting them the next.

Sorry if I missed this one in someone else's reply

the internet. It is the beginning of a planetary mind.

Originally posted by TKainZero
Seems the most popular ones are Mathmatics and Lanuage, go ask high school students if they think that these are good inventions.

They aren't students, they are adolecents who attend school.

I Think that the Computer has got to be the Greatest up to date.
In Particular the Silicon Chip, Nano Tech.

2nd I would have to say the YOYO.

I would not say that this invention is the greatest, but there is no doubt that the Camera has got to be one of the most amazing concepts that man has ever imagined.

The idea of building a device that can be used to capture an image in it's actual moment and produce it on paper exactly as you see it is fantastic ! It records history without using any words to describe it. I guess I take the ol' saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" to heart !

Film or video would no doubt be right up with the camera.

The most beneficial of inventions would be all the various forms of communication.

Great topic folks !

NOw that i think of it, is mathmatics realy an inventions at all, or was it discovered? 2+2 is alwas 4, so everything already existed right? So would Mathmatics be like the same as science some thing we discovered but not nessicasrly invented.

it surely is a worth while question
well many of the inventions by mankind r gr8
well according 2 me the greatest ever invention was(off course regarding our world ) is the human kind itself
yeah the humans who were created by GOD HIMSELF so if we the humans
were not on this planet in this 1st part then u would have not posted this question
so the greatesrt CREATOR is OUR GOD THY LORD n creation r ,v the humans

i would say written language is one of the top. then alternating/direct current things. and the guitar

its a tough one.....the wheel.....followed by the internal combustion engine....followed by the Ferrari 250 GTO!