Most important invention

[cassiop]

Hard one to answer but, what do you think has been the most important invention of the last 100 years and why? I was asked this question and found it difficult to answer, and just wondered what other people thought.

[kleinman]

The toothbrush!!!!!!!!!

[fathead]

I would say computers because of  how many  things can be done on them and the speed in which you can communicate with others.  Or tomato ketchup!

[cheyenne]

the supermarket trolley.

[101325]

The Aeroplane.

[piamaria]

well there's lots..........perhaps the smoke alarm!

[piamaria]

or sanitary towels

[Philtaz]

A tough choice but I'd go for the mobile phone.

 

My reasons are that you can contact anyone, anywhere in the world at any given time either by speech, text, video or internet.

 

Strange though how you sometimes can't even get a signal in your own living room!

[allan.g0ias]

The vacuum flask.... I want to know how IT knows whether to keep things hot or cold..?

[Beswad]

Thats easy, it has to be the Toilet. We rely on it daily we forget what a marvellous piece of engineering it is. 

Wit hout aeroplanes we still have ships (it just mean we have to travel a little bit more slow)

Mobile phones weren't around 20 odd years ago people still manage with traditional phones.

Even today without tooth brush or Sanitary towels we can improvise.

 

 

[NetSquirrel]

Yes it has to be computers or, more specifically, the microchip.

[Hippy]

The toilet was invented a bit more than 100 years ago, but yes a wonderful invention. I nominate the telephone. The idea is more than 100 years old, but the practical application with all the wires, exchanges, radio links satellites etc. are what made the Internet possible, and have fuelled world commerce.

 

Second, I think radio. Mr. Marconi was bleeping his way into history about 100 years ago, and from his crackly start we now communicate with robots on other planets and beyond, and open our garage doors.

[SteveD]

Sliced bread!

 

 

[number8]

Roast Beef flavour Monster Munch

[beale]

The Jammie Dodger. Has to be.

[WaldoMcFroog]

The Answerbank?

[archbishop]

Since 1954 I would have to say the mobile phone.All the others mentioned were invented pre 1954.Running a close second would hand powered radio.

[bernardo]

 

The Monster-Munch range of crisps.

 

[Normski]

The Kyoto agreement.

[incuriam]

Prestressed concrete. It's invention was of benefit to the entire world, not just the West. It's cheap, light, easy to model. From affordable housing in developing countries, to the world's tallest building: the 'Taipei 101'. NASA has even used lunar rocks to make small amounts of prestressed concrete which means one day we can live on the moon...

 

 

[helghast]

netsquirrel is right the microchip is the best it is used in everything from computers to mobiles from tvs to everything we take 4 granted