Ancient Inventions list

Scholars do not know which culture actually invented the wheel. However, a University of Chicago article from 2003 credits the Mesopotamians with being the first people, beginning around 3500 B.C., to utilize it for everyday purposes. "They used the potter's wheel to throw pots and wheels on carts to transport both people and goods." The wheel was especially vital to the development of trade between Mesopotamian city- states because it allowed people to ship large quantities of goods over long distances. This invention is vital to modern civilization; we use wheels to help us run everything from cars to watches.

The Sail

The same University of Chicago article also credits the Mesopotamians with inventing sails, which they used "to harness the wind to move boats." This invention was important in helping to spur the growth and development of trade between the city-states along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Ships using sail power could often transport goods to another location much faster than their counterparts who were moving over land. However, this invention is just as vital in helping foster the growth of almost every major civilization in the world. The United States, as we know it, would not exist if Europeans had not had access to sail technology.

Writing

Another University of Chicago site credits the Mesopotamians with inventing the "earliest form of writing." Their written language, called cuneiform, used pictographs to "represent an object or idea." They would imprint these pictures onto clay tablets. The development of a written language is one of the most important inventions of all time. It allowed people to record information for future reference and to transmit data between towns and cities "without having to rely on a messenger's memory." This invention helped to foster the growth and development of complex societies in Mesopotamia and later in other areas of the world.

Money

The replacement of the barter system of trade was the advent of money. The Lydians are given credit for the first people to use this concept dating back to around 5,000 B.C.E. This first money was in the form of coins. These coins were made of valuable metals which were then weighed so that their exact value could be determined. Now a merchant or trader did not have the carry all of his merchandize around to purchase items he may find or need.

Plumbing
Standardized earthenware plumbing pipes with broad flanges making use of asphalt for preventing leakages appeared in the urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization by 2700 BC. Plumbing originated during the ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations as they developed public baths and needed to provide potable water, and drainage of wastes. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th century. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools.

The Boat

Archaeological evidence indicates that humans arrived on New Guinea at least 60,000 years ago, probably by sea from Southeast Asia during an ice age period when the sea was lower and distances between islands shorter. The ancestors of Australian Aborigines and New Guineans went across the Lombok Strait to Sahul by boat over 50,000 years ago. Evidence from ancient Egypt shows that the early Egyptians already knew how to assemble planks of wood into a watertight hull, using treenails to fasten them together, and pitch for caulking the seams.

Medieval (Middle Ages) Inventions
The Heavy Plow

The plough was a major breakthrough in the history of humankind and allowed people to greatly expand their fields and grow crops in soils too hard for hand digging. Early ploughs were, more or less, a pointy stick dragged behind a draft animal, cutting lightly through the soil. A farmer would walk along with the plough and lift the plough blade so that it didn't get caught on rocks or roots. These ploughs were fine for lighter soils but had trouble in harder soils. Enter the heavy plough, which uses wheels to support a heavier blade. The exact place and time of the first use of the heavy plough are not known, but it's safe to peg its introduction to somewhere in Asia around 200 AD. The Romans were rocking the heavy plough not too long after that, and by roughly 600 AD, the rest of Europe was on board. Farmers were able to open up extensive new fields thanks to the heavy plough, boosting crop yields and population numbers (aka all of
our distant relatives).

Gunpowder and Fireworks

The first fireworks might have been an accident. Legend tells that a cook discovered the ingredients for black powder, and quickly the Chinese were entertaining themselves with beautiful displays in the night sky. In the year 1161, the Chinese used explosives for the first time in warfare. They also used gunpowder to make primitive flamethrowers and even explosive mines and multiple-stage rockets.
The use of gunpowder in weapons gave those with access to the technology a greater ability to protect themselves from enemies or to conquer and control others. It greatly affected the balance of power in many parts of the world. Chinese firearms, fireworks and gunpowder were popular items of trade along the Silk Route (or Silk Road) to Europe.

Eyeglasses

As someone born with relatively bad eye sight, I am particularly thankful to 13th century Italians for coming up with the eyeglasses. They were first documented in the early 1300s with early models made to be held up by hand or pinched on the nose. It wasn't until the 1700s that designs featuring arms that bent around the nose became widely used. Life for billions of people around the world (including the author) would be a dismal, blurry affair if not for the humble eyeglasses.

The Mechanical Clock

The origin of the all-mechanical escapement clock is unknown; the first such devices may have been invented and used in monasteries to toll a bell that called the monks to prayers. The first mechanical clocks to which clear references exist were large, weight-driven machines fitted into towers and known today as turret clocks. These early devices struck only the hours and did not have hands or a dial. The oldest surviving clock in England is that at Salisbury Cathedral, which dates from 1386. A clock erected at Rouen, France, in 1389 is still extant (photo above), and one built for Wells Cathedral in England is preserved in the Science Museum in London.

The Printing Press

Unlike the other items on this list, the origins of the modern printing press can easily be tracked to one man and one place: Johannes Gutenberg from Mainz, Germany. Around 1440 Mr. Gutenberg developed his now famous press which allowed, for the first time, industrial scale printing. It's hard to emphasize how important the invention of the Gutenberg press was to the development of the modern world. The press meant ideas could be spread through books and pamphlets, newspapers and journals. Science, technology and history all saw great leaps as institutional knowledge began to accrue around the world. Without Gutenberg, there would be no internet. And without the internet you wouldn't be reading this article right now. Also, no pictures of funny cats and bacon.

Soap

Soap came into widespread European use in the 9th century in semi-liquid form, with hard soap perfected by the Arabs in the 12th century.

The Personal Computer

It's difficult to imagine our world today without computers. Of course, they have been around since World War Two, but they were clunky, massively expensive things that had all the calculating power of a brick. When Steve Wozniak and Stephen Jobs introduced the Apple in 1976, however, it changed everything and the rest is, as they say, history. Today, of course, they are everywhere and we have become so dependent upon them that many people almost feel naked without one. For some, they even provide the very means of maintaining a livelihood: we use them to keep track of our finances, write books, design logos and sell real estate. Plus, they are rapidly replacing the stereo and television in their ability to entertain us with music, movies, and games. Makes it hard to understand how our ancestors did so well without them, doesn't it? (Image: the Apple 1, 1976.)

The Automobile

Though under development in Europe during the nineteenth century, the automobile didn't really become a practical and reliable source of transportation until the twentieth century. Once it did, it changed everything; overnight the horse and buggy became quaint anachronisms while much of the country was paved over to make room for endless ribbons of asphalt. It also brought about a revolution in the market place, suddenly making it possible to truck in goods that otherwise would be impossible to acquire. Most of all, Henry Ford's assembly-line production style made the automobile affordable and accessible to the average person (before Ford's Model T was introduced in 1908, only the fabulously wealthy could afford a car). The automobile gave everyone a degree of mobility and personal freedom our forefathers could only dream of, and turned entire generations of teenagers into raging revheads.

The Internet

The computer rendered the typewriter obsolete and made writing in long-hand a thing of the past, but it took the internet to truly turn the computer into the monster it is today. While the airplane shrank our planet to the point that one could fly from New York to London in six hours, the internet made it possible to be there in a few seconds. It allows truth to make it into and out of repressive countries, it foments revolutions, and spreads lies at the speed of light. It also gives anyone the ability to buy and sell almost anything imaginable, find and torment old school mates, watch the latest you-tube videos, and even find their perfect life partner, all for a few bucks a month. Oh, and you can also get useful information off it if you don't mind scrolling through 15,000 hits to find out just how long snails really live. Where would we be without it?

Antibiotics
Until the early 20th century, old age was the last in a line of dozens of potential killers, from bacterial diseases such as tuberculosis to infectious wounds, one might encounter during a lifespan. That all changed in the 1930s, when Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered penicillin, an antibiotic mold that could successfully fight bacterial infection. It was the most important development in medicine until that time, and began saving lives as soon as it was mass produced and distributed. The success of penicillin is also credited for driving the creation of the modern pharmaceutical industry.

Harnessed Electricity
Electricity existed all along, but the system of devices needed to generate this force and distribute it to individual buildings was an invention, launched initially by Edison: He effectively turned electricity into a salable commodity and his Pearl Street station was the world's first electric power station. Nikola Tesla's invention of alternating current (AC) technology then made it possible to transmit electricity over long distances, leading to the nationwide grid we know today. Now, anyone in the West and throughout most of the world can tap into the grid to power everything from light bulbs to computers.