The past few hundred years it's been the pen, and it's equivalent. 10s of millions have been murdered or saved just through a few simple written words of a single signature. Some would say languages but until "orders" or "decrees" could be given over vast distances by writing things down then the scope of those orders weren't as powerful.
I think the wheel probably beats it. Swords were useful but so where all steel weapons like axes, spears, plus I guess shields armor. Now we have missiles and drones though. Swords don't mean much currently but we still depend on wheels quite a bit.
Fire seems more discovery than invention. Agriculture I guess is somewhat mixed. Agriculture tools invention, but the knowledge you can continually regrow food seems more discovery. Plus wheels are used in that I guess. I'm guessing carts were used in early agriculture to take excess crop yields for trade. Perseving methods came later so trading the excess for other goods seems nessicary.
Swords were not as prevalent as you might think.most people were fighting using agricultural tools because steel was expensive. O think the most influential invention is probably written language
Boats and ships are pretty monumental when you think about about travel, trade, and exploration.
The past few hundred years it's been the pen, and it's equivalent. 10s of millions have been murdered or saved just through a few simple written words of a single signature. Some would say languages but until "orders" or "decrees" could be given over vast distances by writing things down then the scope of those orders weren't as powerful.
I think the wheel probably beats it. Swords were useful but so where all steel weapons like axes, spears, plus I guess shields armor. Now we have missiles and drones though. Swords don't mean much currently but we still depend on wheels quite a bit.
How about fire and agriculture?
Fire seems more discovery than invention. Agriculture I guess is somewhat mixed. Agriculture tools invention, but the knowledge you can continually regrow food seems more discovery. Plus wheels are used in that I guess. I'm guessing carts were used in early agriculture to take excess crop yields for trade. Perseving methods came later so trading the excess for other goods seems nessicary.
The invention of beer is actually the most significant, it lead to so many things like agriculture and the construction of pyramids.
Swords were not as prevalent as you might think.most people were fighting using agricultural tools because steel was expensive. O think the most influential invention is probably written language