6 Inventions That Changed the World

The wheel is often said to be humanity’s greatest invention, but the wheel alone isn’t what transformed the world. For a wheel to help people move objects using less force, it needs an axle, or a stationary pole, to turn on.

It was likely the people of ancient Mesopotamia—a historical region that includes present-day Iraq and parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey—who thought of putting the two together. A more than 5,500-year-old potter’s wheel found there suggests that Sumerians, who occupied the region from 4100 to 1750 B.C., had a handle on wheel and axle mechanics. Other modes of wheeled transport in the form of carts and wagons eventually followed.

“Most assume that the earliest wagons were invented in Mesopotamia, which was urban and therefore more sophisticated than the tribal societies of Europe [at the time],” writes anthropologist David Anthony in his book The Horse, the Wheel, and Language. Still, he notes, there’s evidence that multiple cultures had similar ideas around the same period.

The ability to move heavy stuff on wheels was a game-changer for civilization. Previously, it might have taken a whole village to lug stones, lumber, or crops across land. But wheeled transport reduced people’s dependence on group labor to get things built, allowing societies to spread out. Single-family farms sprouted up, and trade expanded as people were able to carry large quantities of goods long distances on carts and wagons.

The wheel is often said to be humanity’s greatest invention. But the wheel alone isn’t what transformed the world. For a wheel to help people move objects using less force, it needs an axle, or a stationary pole, to turn on.

It was likely the people of ancient Mesopotamia who thought of putting the two together. The historical region includes present-day Iraq and parts of Iran, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey. Sumerians occupied the region from 4100 to 1750 b.c. A more than 5,500-year-old potter’s wheel found there suggests that they had a handle on wheel and axle mechanics. Other modes of wheeled transport in the form of carts and wagons eventually followed.

“Most assume that the earliest wagons were invented in Mesopotamia, which was urban and therefore more sophisticated than the tribal societies of Europe [at the time],” writes anthropologist David Anthony in his book The Horse, the Wheel, and Language. But, he notes, there’s proof that several cultures had similar ideas around the same period.

The ability to move heavy stuff on wheels was a game-changer for civilization. Before then, it might have taken a whole village to lug stones, lumber, or crops across land. But wheeled transport meant people depended less on group labor to get things built. That allowed societies to spread out. Single-family farms popped up. And trade stretched further as people were able to carry large amounts of goods long distances on carts and wagons.

The ancient Egyptians discovered something life-altering right in their backyards when they found a tall green reed called papyrus growing on the muddy banks of the Nile River delta. It was sturdy, plentiful, and free—and Egyptians used it to construct huts, temples, and boats. Eventually, when the Egyptians began turning papyrus plants into paper around 3000 B.C., that humble swamp plant would change civilization.

“It was like a revolution in book production because suddenly you went from a solid medium like clay, stone, or wooden tablets to something that is soft and you can fold,” says Sofía Torallas Tovar, professor of classics and Near Eastern languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago. “Imagine the revolution of using something that was easier to store and to archive,” she adds. “It allowed many aspects of literacy, including the circulation of literature and the extension of bureaucracy.”

Making the paper required soaking the papyrus stems, then peeling away the outer layers to reveal the inner white part, known as pith. The pith was thinly sliced and laid in strips parallel to each other, overlapping slightly to form a sheet. More strips were then placed on top, at right angles to the first layer, and then the two layers were pressed together until they dried to form a single page.

The ancient Egyptians discovered something life-altering right in their backyards. They found a tall green reed called papyrus growing on the muddy banks of the Nile River delta. It was sturdy, plentiful, and free. Egyptians used it to build huts, temples, and boats. Eventually, the Egyptians began turning papyrus plants into paper around 3000 b.c. It was then that the humble swamp plant changed civilization.

“It was like a revolution in book production because suddenly you went from a solid medium like clay, stone, or wooden tablets to something that is soft and you can fold,” says Sofía Torallas Tovar, professor of classics and Near Eastern languages and civilizations at the University of Chicago. “Imagine the revolution of using something that was easier to store and to archive,” she adds. “It allowed many aspects of literacy, including the circulation of literature and the extension of bureaucracy.”

Making the paper required soaking the papyrus stems, then peeling away the outer layers to reveal the inner white part, known as pith. The pith was thinly sliced and laid in strips parallel to each other. The overlapping strips formed a sheet. More strips were then placed on top, at right angles to the first layer. Then the two layers were pressed together until they dried to form a single page.

As early as the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.), Chinese scholars began experimenting with what they thought was a magical type of rock. They discovered that a thin piece of the rock aligned itself north and south when suspended at its center by a thread. As it turned out, the rocks were lodestones, or naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite.

The stones also temporarily magnetized metal objects, such as needles, if rubbed against them. That discovery put China on a path to developing the first magnetic compasses centuries later.

Historians believe Chinese thinkers began rubbing lodestones against needles to magnetize them for navigation around the 11th century. By the Middle Ages, the magnetic compass had spread throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Before the compass, people used the sun, the stars, and familiar landmarks to find their way—or on dark, cloudy nights, they just hoped for the best.

The invention of the compass enabled sailors to confidently steer ships on a set course and goods to be transported long distances without being lost. These advancements stimulated foreign trade.

As compasses improved over time, they became essential. Even today, in a world of GPS and map apps, high-tech compasses are still built into airplanes and ships to help guide people and goods to their destinations all over the world.

As early as the Han Dynasty (206 b.c.-220 a.d.), Chinese scholars began experimenting with what they thought was a magical type of rock. They discovered that a thin piece of the rock lined up north and south when hung at its center by a thread. As it turned out, the rocks were lodestones, or naturally magnetized pieces of the mineral magnetite.

The stones also temporarily magnetized metal objects, such as needles, if rubbed against them. That discovery put China on a path to developing the first magnetic compasses centuries later.

Historians believe Chinese thinkers began rubbing lodestones against needles to magnetize them for navigation around the 11th century. By the Middle Ages, the magnetic compass had spread throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Before the compass, people used the sun, the stars, and familiar landmarks to find their way. On dark, cloudy nights, they just hoped for the best.

The invention of the compass helped sailors confidently steer ships on a set course. It also made it possible for goods to be transported long distances without being lost. These advancements gave way to foreign trade.

As compasses improved over time, they became essential. They’re even important today. In a world of GPS and map apps, high-tech compasses are still built into airplanes and ships to help guide people and goods to places all over the world.

In the early 1400s, many books were still made by copying text entirely by hand. But German inventor Johannes Gutenberg had a better idea: He developed a printing press with individual metal letters that could be rearranged and reused countless times. The letters were set in place to spell the words on a page, coated with ink, then hand-cranked down onto paper, making a copy. The press could print about 250 copies an hour, an advance that made it possible to mass produce printed materials for the first time.

In 1455, Gutenberg had a hit with his first major effort: a book now known as the Gutenberg Bible, which is widely considered the first modern book. He printed about 180 copies, and they sold out quickly. (An original copy is worth more than $35 million today.)

Gutenberg’s invention not only made books cheaper and more accessible for everyday people, but it also allowed scholars to more easily share their knowledge. That helped spread the wealth of innovations in art, culture, and science that sprung up in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries (a period known as the Renaissance), which ushered in the modern age.

In the early 1400s, many books were still made by copying text entirely by hand. But German inventor Johannes Gutenberg had a better idea. He built a printing press with individual metal letters that could be rearranged and reused countless times. The letters were set in place to spell the words on a page. Then they were coated with ink and hand-cranked down onto paper to make a copy. The press could print about 250 copies an hour. This advance made it possible to mass produce printed materials for the first time.

In 1455, Gutenberg had a hit with his first major effort: a book now known as the Gutenberg Bible. It is widely considered the first modern book. He printed about 180 copies, and they sold out quickly. (An original copy is worth more than $35 million today.)

Gutenberg’s invention made books cheaper and more accessible for everyday people. It also allowed scholars to more easily share their knowledge. That helped spread the wealth of innovations in art, culture, and science that sprung up in Europe between the 14th and 17th centuries. This period, known as the Renaissance, led to the modern age.