greatest inventor ?

***Sir Bronking*** · 15-04-2006

who in your opinion is the worlds greatest inventor? and why and what one single invention beat's all others

ps before anyone (especially CH )say's Dr Cavor it must be a real person

**Salty25** · 15-04-2006

John Logie Baird - inventor of the television. Need I say more?

***Sir Bronking*** · 15-04-2006

Originally Posted by Salty25

John Logie Baird - inventor of the television. Need I say more?

a bit selfish salty

i would think that some people live quite happily without a telly

**Salty25** · 15-04-2006

Originally Posted by bronking

a bit selfish salty i would think that some people live quite happily without a telly

i suppose so. mmmmmmm.... i guess medicine would have to be the best invention of all time, but thats very broad, and was a collective effort by the whole world.

**Llew** · 15-04-2006

"Og ug og og ug!" (Neolithic for "Look mum - I've invented the wheel!)

Llew

**Channel Hopper** · 16-04-2006

Originally Posted by Llew

"Og ug og og ug!" (Neolithic for "Look mum - I've invented the wheel!)

ug ug ug ug - alcohol, probably the most universal invention

**ArPCPro** · 16-04-2006

Thomas Edison, who invented the light bulb. I would hate to have to use a candle or petrol lamp at night.

***Sir Bronking*** · 16-04-2006

Originally Posted by Llew

"Og ug og og ug!" (Neolithic for "Look mum - I've invented the wheel!)

Llew

good call Llew

a poll in 2004 had the following results

**Salty25** · 16-04-2006

Originally Posted by bronking

good call Llew

a poll in 2004 had the following results

The bicycle

**rolfw** · 16-04-2006

Ah, now there is difference between invention and discovery?

You discover Alchohol, but invent the steam engine, must say that I prefer the discovery over the invention, but could perhaps use the latter to make the former.

I would say that someone like Da Vinci has got to be in the running for the greatest ever, as he pretty much covered all disciplines, a true innovator.

**gameboy** · 16-04-2006

Originally Posted by rolfw

I would say that someone like Da Vinci has got to be in the running for the greatest ever, as he pretty much covered all disciplines, a true innovator.

He had a good 'code' as well - LOL

**PoloMint** · 17-04-2006

I can't say I'd class people like Thomas Edison, or John Logie Baird as the greatest inventor. Not that I don't like what they invented, but had they not come alone someone else would have come up with the idea, or at least something similar. One way or another we would have electric lights by now without Edison.

Not that I can thing of a better suggestion right now. For me it would have to be the inventor of something truly remarkable, that is not simply logical progression from the available technology, and either very ahead of its time or unlikely to ever be invented by anyone else.

The discovery/invention distinction is a very interesting one...did we discover or invent mathematics? Numbers?

**Llew** · 17-04-2006

Number systems? Count'em

Arabic Egyptian Mayan Babylonian Roman Chinese Indian Greek

I think the use of zero in mathematics was first used in India.

Llew

**Salty25** · 17-04-2006

Originally Posted by Llew

Number systems? Count'em

Arabic Egyptian Mayan Babylonian Roman Chinese Indian Greek

I think the use of zero in mathematics was first used in India.

Llew

Number would have to be invented surely? Counting though is something humans have ALWAYS done, so its just part of us, if you get what I'm trying (very badly) to say. Counting is a neccassity for survival.

spiney · 19-04-2006

(whoever discovered fire?).

Otherwise, Michael Faraday!

(He first revolutionised chemistry, especially with direct evidence for the discrete particulate nature of electricity and all matter.

Then, his discovery of electromagnetic induction enabled electric power generators and motors to be built, and started the worldwide electricity supply industry.

After which - although not himself a mathematician - nevertheless, his experimental discoveries about and thoughts on electromagnetic interactions were directly used by Maxwell to produce his famous "Maxwell Equations", directly leading to the discovery of radio waves).

PS, it's certainly not Baird, cos his tv systems were useless (that's going to annoy some people)!

(Or instead, should I have said Morton for anaesthesia, or Lister for antiseptic/aseptic surgery? Oh dear ......).

***Sir Bronking*** · 19-04-2006

well it took 4 day's, but i just knew spiney wouldn't let me down

***Sir Bronking*** · 19-04-2006

Originally Posted by Salty25

The bicycle

well... llew said wheel

a bike wouldn't get very far without any

**PaulR** · 19-04-2006

Originally Posted by PoloMint

One way or another we would have electric lights by now without Edison.

No, NO, NO

Edison did not, Not, NOT invent the lightbulb. Sir Joseph Swan invented the lightbulb. What Edison did was to patent a part of the electric light bulb that was thought to be common knowledge and therefore not in need of patenting.

Swan has been the subject of airbrushing out of history by Americans, who have to think they invented evrything worh inventing.

Edison was an inventor, yes, but first and foremost he was a businessman

spiney · 20-04-2006

Hello Bronking, trying not to "let you down", but surely I'm allowed to go on holiday?

Yes, Paul R, agreed that Swan did invent the incandescent filament bulb before and independently of Edison, nevertheless Edison did do lots of work on finding the right materials - mostly by trial and error - to make it relaible and commercial. Having already lost one court battle, he agreed to share USA patent rights with Swan as the "Ediswan" company (in UK Swan stayed independent).

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan .
and: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison .

Regarding Rolfw's above post, perhaps the chap who invented the pull ring on beer cans ("throw away your can opener"!)? That's certainly an invention , you could hardly "discover" it.

(added, a rather grisly episode was the "war of the currents":
www.snopes.com/science/edison.htm#add .
(more detail): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Currents ).

**BGonaSTICK** · 20-04-2006

Cheese. I like a nice bit of cheese.

Discovered, not invented, of course.

Actually, cheese stinks.

It'll have to be cardboard. Or superglue.

Maybe Nylon.

Or gunpowder.

Yes, gunpowder.

spiney · 20-04-2006

There's the cheese board (honestly!) www.cheeseboard.co.uk

If you don't dust that regularly, you end up with www.thecheeseweb.com .

(Of course, you can't make cheese without breaking a few eggs:
www.savetherennets.com ).

Meanwhile, here's 2 interesting lists:
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Greatest_Inventions .
http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/The_Off...e#Sliced_Bread .

**gameboy** · 20-04-2006

And the worst 100 inventions here...

_http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Worst_100_Inventions_of_All_Time

**RedDevil_UK** · 20-04-2006

why is it we always say
"best thing since sliced bread"

maybe thats the best invention

an err maybe not..

This website

there is loads, cant really pick one out though

**PoloMint** · 20-04-2006

Originally Posted by PaulR

No, NO, NO

Edison did not, Not, NOT invent the lightbulb. Sir Joseph Swan invented the lightbulb. What Edison did was to patent a part of the electric light bulb that was thought to be common knowledge and therefore not in need of patenting.

Swan has been the subject of airbrushing out of history by Americans, who have to think they invented evrything worh inventing.

Edison was an inventor, yes, but first and foremost he was a businessman

I wasn't really trying to claim Edison invented the lightbulb, I was just using it as an example of something that would still have been invented if the original inventor had not been around (in fact I hadn't put much thought into the example). Someone would have come up with the idea if neither Swan or Edison had been around.

At the moment I'm going with the inventor of the alphabet. It might seem like that has been 'invented' several times, but it hasn't.

Scripts and methods for writing things down were developed in several places at once, but all the alphabets we use evolved from just one, developed about 4000 years ago.

Only one other true alphabet unrelated to this has been found, so yes it may have been invented had the original people in the Sinai desert not come up with it, but I still think they deserve some credit.

Then again perhaps not, the Chinese and Japanese (and many others) seem to do fine without an alphabet