Respuestas
1. The printing press, 1430:
It was mentioned by 10 of our 12 experts, five of whom ranked it among the three most important inventions in history. Dyson writes his invention as the turning point at which "knowledge began to replicate freely and rapidly, and took on a life of its own."
2. Penicillin, 1928:
It was discovered accidentally in 1928, although antibiotics were not widely distributed until after World War II, when they became the silver bullet for a host of previously deadly diseases.
3. Optical lenses, 13th century:
Refraction of light through glass is one of those simple ideas that took an inexplicably long time to catch on. The Romans had a glass industry. Even a passage from Seneca talks about the optical effects of a glass bowl of water. But it was centuries later that the invention of glasses dramatically raised the collective human intelligence index, and ultimately led to the creation of the microscope and telescope.
4. The internal combustion engine, in the late 19th century:
The mixture of air and fuel would replace the steam engine in the future.
5. Internet, 1960:
The infrastructure of the digital age.