Top 10 Inventions Updated | Week 3

Hi again!

This week I took a look at all of your blogs and have created a new list of the top ten inventions of all time. First of all, everyone had really interesting criteria before choosing their top ten. This week instead of solely looking at how each invention affected the well-being of society, I will also consider which inventions made the biggest impact and which inventions led or will lead to many more inventions after their inception. Some of my top ten inventions are the same because I still feel like they are some of the greatest inventions of all time, however, there is a fair share of new inventions that made it into my top ten.

New Inventions

1. X-ray Technologies in Medicine
• After reading many posts, it is clear that this technology provide very valuable information about the body- including information about skeletal, muscular and tissue-level images. This technology helps doctors determine people's illnesses more accurately allowing them to provide better treatment. Being able to take pictures of a body, allows doctors to diagnose patients and recommend appropriate action plans, therefore helping the overall well- being of society and individuals. Although we have not seen the technology that can be propelled from this invention, I am sure that it will be revolutionary. 
2. Camera
• The camera is a way to capture history more accurately than we have ever been able to do before. Like the say, a picture says a thousand words. Instead of reading written accounts of historical events like we do now, in the future, people will be able to look back on photos to understand our culture, experiences and particularly special moments. The camera has also expanded and is now implemented in most technical devices like cell phones and laptops. Its expansion encourages capturing moments. Beside that, cameras also have helped with increased security by capturing crimes or robberies in action. 
3. Printing Press 
• The printing press is so important because it helped begin the transferring of knowledge. Printing allowed people to spread the word about monumental moments- and information that was not screened by the church. It ensured that everyone heard the same story from the same source and nothing was altered or manipulated. The availability of printed materials also led to a drastic rise in the adult literacy rate which improved the overall well being of society. 
4. Plumbing 
• The invention of a effective plumbing system is incredibly important. Although we have had many medical innovations that have saved millions of lives, it is also important that our sewage system was innovated since people now live in such close quarters. When people live very close together, it is easy for disease to spread, especially if living in bacteria. Because of this invention, we do not have infectious cities and have clean and purified water which is essential for humans to live. 
5. Control of Fire 
• The invention of the stove or the fire place are incredibly vital to society's current existence. Being able to control fire in this setting has allowed us to cook and sterilize food and water easier and also has allowed us to keep warm during harsh weather seasons. This is something most people overlook, but without heat, humans would be left to overcome many more obstacles. 
6. Automobile 
• The automobile introduced a new way of living. It encouraged and allowed people to commute into work changing the dynamic of cities and creating suburbs. Now, the over population in cities, was not as large of an issue as people began to move further away and only come in during work. It created privatized transportation and encouraged people to move to urban areas. It also increased productivity because there was no time wasted feeding livestock that normally transported humans from place to place. 
7. Microwave
• The microwave, which was accidentally discovered, overall increased productivity drastically by allowing people to make their food much quicker. Because humans need food to survive, the less time consuming you make the process for people to sustain themselves with foods, gives them more time to explore other arenas and create new inventions. 

Old Inventions

1. The Plow
• The plow is a simple cutting tool that is used to prepare soil for planting. Although this invention is not glamorous in anyway, it was an invention that led to a lot of other great products and machinery. Before the plow, human’s lives were solely focused on the purpose of finding, nurturing and growing food in order to ensure their survival.  Being able to grow food gave them some stability, however, it was incredibly time and labor intensive. However, the plow was able to change all of that. Plows made this process a lot easier and allowed people to produce more food than they needed to survive. They could then trade their excess food for other goods and services with this invention. The plow also allowed society to focus on other activities instead of just focusing on how to survive. In regards to the plow being the catalyst to other inventions- since people were able to devote more time trading and interacting with others, this forced a number system, written language, etc.
2. Wheel
• The wheel was invented in 3500 BC and sparked many different industries by making transportation much more efficient and effective.  Both agriculture and commerce were made readily available to others due to easier transportation. However, if the wheel was only used for transportation, it wouldn't have altered the world as drastically as it has. Because there were very few roads and the quality of them were very poor, the potential of the wheel was actually limited for a great period of time. A wheel has many different uses- so many other inventions require wheels in order to function. A lot of modern technology also depends on the basic wheel, making it one of the most influential innovations of all time. 
3. Compass
• The compass is dated back to AD 1040-44. The compass is so vital because it is the foundation of all navigation based inventions since its inception. It was originally a magnetic needle floating in a bowl of water which was widely used throughout China. The dry compass, also created in China, was later adopted by Europe and Japan, and allowed them to discover great lands that altered history.  

*Just a note, I could not figure out how to continue the numbering, if anyone knows how to, let me know! But there are 10 inventions total. Seven new inventions added to my list, and I kept three old inventions! Thanks!