The best invention ever

Wow – this is a big one. Where do I even begin? This week I’m going to of a countdown of what I consider to be some of the best inventions ever, finishing with THE BEST INVENTION EVER. Don’t agree? Feel free to add your thoughts about it. Let us know more absolute amazing, brilliant, life-changing inventions in the comments below.

5. The Light Bulb:

Look, I know this is a cliché place to start, but it had to be done. Honestly, I wouldn’t enjoy lighting a candle every time I needed to use the loo in the middle of the night. I don’t think I’d like to eat my dinner in the dim light, unsure about what I was even consuming. I most certainly wouldn’t like having to go to bed at 6pm because I had nothing better to do. When all you have is natural light, productivity is limited to daylight hours. Light bulbs changed the world by allowing us to be active at night. Now we can enjoy ourselves all night long! So well done to Thomas Edison, the primary inventor of a completely functional lighting system, in 1879.

4. The Vaccine:

While sometimes controversial, the practice of vaccination is responsible for eliminating many common diseases and extending the human lifespan. The first vaccine (for smallpox) was developed by Edward Jenner in 1796. A rabies vaccine was developed by Louis Pasteur in 1885, who is credited with making vaccination the major part of medicine that is it today. Without vaccines, we would be in a tough situation. Literally. Large amounts of people would still be dying from measles, small pox, rabies and many more diseases that are now preventable. This is an invention I would encourage us all to make use of!

3. The Cake:

Think about it. Who first thought to mix together butter, sugar, eggs and flour to make the first cake. How did they even know where to start with the quantities? I mean I’m sure it was a matter of trial and error, but they still had to start somewhere, trusting they would end up with a delicious final product. Whoever this genius was, I’m sure glad they existed!

2. The Telephone:

Another cliché invention, I admit it. And yes, congratulations to Alexander Graham Bell, awarded a patent for the electric telephone in 1876. The invention quickly took off, and revolutionized global business and communication. However, what is so impressive about the telephone is how far it has come. A lightbulb is still a lightbulb. But a telephone! Phones now are just about everything – a laptop, a camera, a calculator, a storage library, an email device, a gaming console, a health tracker, a clock, a weatherman, a bank accessor, a news device, a social media hotspot, the list goes on and on and on. Bravo.

1. The Microwave:

My, oh my, where would we be without the microwave? Two minute noodles. Leftovers for lunch. Cake in a mug. One-bowl mac and cheese. Delicious. I for one, would be lost without it. American engineer Percy Spencer is generally credited with inventing the modern microwave oven after World War II from radar technology developed during the war. It was first sold in 1946. Mr Spencer, as a hungry and broke student, I thank you very much! Thank you for creating THE BEST INVENTION EVER.

Hannah Skelton

Critical Thinking Questions:

1. What do you think are the Top 5 best inventions ever? Let us know in the comments below.
2. Who is the greatest inventor of the last fifty years? Why?
3. What is the importance of continuing to invent things?

Practical Thinking Questions:

1. Look around you and find the coolest invention you can see in the room. Research the story behind it.
2. Ask you parents what was the biggest invention in their lifetime so far. What was the most life-changing?
3. Think of an invention – it doesn’t have to be realistic, it just has to be awesome! Explain how it would work and what it would be good for. Do you think your idea is THE BEST INVENTION EVER?