What Single Weapon Has Changed Modern History the Most?

            Throughout history, nations of this world have always turned with confidence to the battlefields as a means of accomplishing their goals.  And each nation has, at one time or another, been forced to place the future of their nation in the hands of young fighting men.  These hands not only held the future of their country, but also the weapon that they would be using to change history.  So this brings me to my search topic, a question which military historians have long pondered and quarreled over: What single weapon has changed modern history the most?  I define modern in this context as the time from 1500 to present-day.  I shall answer this question in a quest for the truth, a search for the answer to this penultimate question of military history.

            In the fall of 2008, the TV show Future Weapons and the popular website Military.com each respectively compiled their own lists of the “Top 10 Weapons in History.”  These lists were based on the historical impact of each weapon.  Although each list was different, each contained many weapons from World War II.  This makes sense because in those five years, world history was re-written and political boundaries redefined.  Also, every military historian and similar expert will have his/her own opinion of such matters. I will search out a single truth from these webs of opinion and fact.

            In my quest for the answer to my search topic, I’ll use a number of questions to guide me to my final result.  First of all, after narrowing my answer down to a top 10 list, what does the general public think is the greatest weapon in history?  More importantly, what do the majority of experts in this field think, and are any in agreement?  After determining what seems to be the answer, I’ll want a solid basis for my opinion.  What period of history was the weapon developed in and used on the field of battle?  How did the weapon impact history?  Is it still a popular weapon, even only as a replica?  What lessons can armament developers today learn from the greatest weapon?  In order to seek out the truth, I will need answers to these questions.