Hall of fame of inventions: the most important inventions in the history of technology

Which things hold up the whole history of technology? We rated each one on four measures — how many direct links it has, how often routes between other things pass through it, how many fields of technology it appears in and how many things are built on it — and combined them into a score from 0 to 100.

The hundred most important inventions

  1. Steel — score 100
  2. Wood — score 99.9
  3. Copper — score 99.9
  4. Glass — score 99.8
  5. Aluminium — score 99.7
  6. Brass — score 99.7
  7. Cast iron — score 99.7
  8. Iron — score 99.7
  9. Bronze — score 99.5
  10. Pressure — score 99.5
  11. Plastic — score 99.4
  12. Lever — score 99.3
  13. Electric motor — score 99.2
  14. Friction — score 99.2
  15. Gear — score 99.1
  16. Silicon — score 99.1
  17. Stone — score 99
  18. Combustion — score 99
  19. Valve — score 98.9
  20. Paper — score 98.8
  21. Spring — score 98.7
  22. Vulcanized rubber — score 98.5
  23. Vacuum — score 98.5
  24. Clay — score 98.5
  25. Universal gravitation — score 98.3
  26. Leather — score 98.2
  27. Watt steam engine — score 98.1
  28. Rope — score 98.1
  29. Ball bearing — score 97.9
  30. Chemical reaction — score 97.7
  31. Carbon — score 97.6
  32. Computer — score 97.5
  33. Lens — score 97.5
  34. Concrete — score 97.5
  35. Smartphone — score 97.3
  36. Compressor — score 97.3
  37. LED — score 97.2
  38. Propeller — score 97
  39. Wrought iron — score 96.9
  40. Electromagnetic induction — score 96.8
  41. Elasticity — score 96.8
  42. Mirror — score 96.7
  43. Wheel — score 96.6
  44. Wedge — score 96.6
  45. Diesel engine — score 96.5
  46. Cotton — score 96.4
  47. Semiconductor — score 96.3
  48. Gyroscope — score 96.3
  49. Silver — score 96.3
  50. Boiler — score 95.9
  51. Piston — score 95.9
  52. Electric generator — score 95.8
  53. Lithium-ion battery — score 95.6
  54. Brick — score 95.6
  55. Reflection of light — score 95.6
  56. Centrifugal pump — score 95.5
  57. Internal combustion engine — score 95.4
  58. Handle — score 95.4
  59. Crank — score 95.4
  60. Solar panel — score 95.4
  61. Heat transfer — score 95.4
  62. Transistor — score 95.3
  63. Radio — score 95.3
  64. Stainless steel — score 95.2
  65. Nylon — score 95.1
  66. Loudspeaker — score 95
  67. Fibreglass — score 95
  68. Bone — score 94.9
  69. Microprocessor — score 94.8
  70. Vacuum pump — score 94.7
  71. Plant fibre — score 94.7
  72. Gravity flow — score 94.7
  73. Copper wire — score 94.6
  74. Heating element — score 94.5
  75. Smartphone camera — score 94.4
  76. Vacuum tube — score 94.4
  77. Piston pump — score 94.4
  78. Bicycle — score 94.3
  79. Silica (sand) — score 94.2
  80. Needle — score 94.1
  81. Stone tool — score 94
  82. Data centre — score 93.9
  83. Car — score 93.7
  84. Electromagnetism — score 93.6
  85. Keyboard — score 93.6
  86. Electromagnetic waves — score 93.5
  87. Wire rope — score 93.4
  88. Porcelain — score 93.3
  89. Electromagnet — score 93.2
  90. Water wheel — score 93.2
  91. Coal — score 93.2
  92. Antenna — score 93.1
  93. GPS (satellite navigation) — score 93.1
  94. Tin — score 93.1
  95. Newton’s laws — score 93.1
  96. Microcontroller — score 93
  97. Relay — score 93
  98. Microphone — score 92.8
  99. Photodiode — score 92.8
  100. Natural rubber — score 92.7

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