10. The Wheel. If the human race somehow missed the notion that a circular object rolls with ease, we would still be living in a world thousands of years less advanced than we are now. With the wheel came the ability of long distance trade, mass transportation of supplies on land, and eventually, thousands of years later, cars.

9. Agriculture Again, like the wheel, without the ability to establish a permanent settlement we would still be uneducated nomads. Agriculture led to the advancement in many fields of education and the developments of skilled work. Humans now can rely on other sources of food rather than mainly meat.

8. Culture Call this an accidental invention. Great civilizations have great culture. It defines who we are and shapes the world. Think of a world without culture? It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?

7. Writing. Without the ability to write written word where would we be now? There’s a possibility we may have invented the telephone earlier, but that is unlikely. Before writing, we had storytellers who kept track of our history and life lessons. But over the years, through many different storytellers, the histories may have become twisted. With writing came the easy access to information without having to bother the man with all the stories. Besides, writing leads to another great invention down the list.

6. Democracy. For those of us who live in a democratic nation and read in the news about those who don’t, we know how great this invention is. It’s more of an idea but this isn’t your typical Top 10 list. This government gives man his rightful freedoms as he was intended to have.

5. Plumbing. Picture a city like New York or LA without plumbing. See all of the thirsty people and the incredible amount of waste in the streets? We couldn’t have cities of their size without fresh water and a way to easily get rid of human waste. Plumbing has probably prevented one hundred super plagues by now.

4. The Printing Press. With the Printing Press came the ability to mass distribute information and ideas so many people could read them or learn to read for that matter. Printed text paved the way for the education of the people.

3. Antibiotics. The Black plague wiped out half of Europe in the 14th century in only a few years. Smallpox killed an estimated 90% of the Native American population. They didn’t have antibiotics then and look what happened. With the advent of antibiotics, the human lifespan increased drastically. People who live longer can accomplish more and that is why antibiotics is #3.

2. The Computer. Computers now have the power to do some of the dirty work we humans used to do. Find and eliminate bombs, multiply 543 by 2821, and shuffle cards for a game of solitaire. It also paved the way for the Greatest Invention of all time…

1. The Internet. The worlds brain. Trumps the printing press in it’s ability to spread new ideas and reach the masses. Communication with Yu-Lin in China from my home is as easy as sitting down on a chair and moving my fingers. Having all of the worlds knowledge at the click of a button is hands down the greatest thing mankind has accomplished so far.