• Question: If you could have invented anything from the past (ie lightbulb, tire) what would it be?

    Asked by followtheyellowbrickroad to Meeks, Pete, Stephen, Steve, Tom on 17 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Tom Hartley

      Tom Hartley answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Their are thousands of incredible inventions I’d love to have thought of – most of them depended on someone else’s earlier invention. I think the most significant invention was writing. This laid the foundation for detailed information to be passed from one generation to the next, building much more complex cultures and civilisations than would otherwise be possible. In this way most of the later inventions probably depend on writing in one way or another.

    • Photo: Steve Roser

      Steve Roser answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hmm. Should I go for the greatest wealth or the greatest prestige (ie most useful for humanity). I’ll go for the wheel…..

    • Photo: Stephen Curry

      Stephen Curry answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Goodness – that’s an interesting one. I think I would like to have invented vaccines because I would be very, very proud of the millions of lives that I would have saved and the years of suffering that I would have prevented.

    • Photo: Pete Edwards

      Pete Edwards answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      Like Tom I think the most significant invention was probably writing. Most of the later inventions depend upon writing which allows humans to pass their ideas from one generation to the next.

    • Photo: Marieke Navin

      Marieke Navin answered on 17 Jun 2010:

      i have had loads of ideas for inventions and keep finding out they are already invented! Recently I invented a two thickness duvet – thin side for hot man and thick side for cold girl. Of course you can already buy them.
      I can’t think of anything from the past! The telescope! that would have been a cool thing to invent – the first person ever to see the moon or the rings or saturn or satellites of jupiter.

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