National Geographic recently published an article about the world’s top ten greatest inventions.
- I always thought it was the wheel but for now, we will stick to known inventors.
Coming in at number one is the printing press invented in the mid-15th century by Johannes Gutenberg. China and some parts of Asia were already using such devices much earlier, but Gutenberg got the credit. The significance of the printed word and how it has impacted history cannot be argued. The listing of other great inventions goes on with the light bulb, the airplane, the personal computer, and vaccines. Refrigeration comes in at number nine topping only the camera on the top ten list. I rank refrigeration at number three just behind the printing press and the light bulb. I rank it about equal to the personal computer. It beats the airplane, clocks, the automobile, and even the telephone because I can do without those things. The inventions I must have include my HDTV (basically a fancy light bulb), my refrigerator for snacks and beer, plus my HVAC system that makes my house a comfortable “refrigerator” in summer and a warm oasis in the dead of winter. My back-up during a signal outage is to read a good book (thanks to Gutenberg) and bask in my HVAC created climate. Now all I need is a robot assistant to take care of all my other needs and I hear that has already been invented. In case you think poorly of me, keep in mind that my wife won’t allow me to get a bot that will replace her. I only need one to fetch my beer from the fridge and is programmed as a qualified HVAC technician to keep that wonderful invention in my house in tip-top condition.