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15 Inventions That Quietly Changed The World That We Take For Granted On A Daily Basis "It's saved over a million lives, and people use one every day without even thinking." Reddit user u/forgeris recently asked, "What's an invention that quietly changed the world but doesn't get enough credit?" Thousands of people shared their thoughts, and I'm honestly so fascinated by these. Here are 15 inventions that changed the world: Plus, some background info about each. 1. "Glassware. Think about how valuable a chemically inert, see-through, and heat-resistant set of glassware is when it comes to chemistry." 2. "Three-point seatbelt. It's saved over a million lives, and people use one every day without even thinking. It's so important that the inventor created it and then said, 'Here you go, world, all yours.'" 3. "Lenses. Just squish a ball of glass and, woah! Whole new worlds from the very small to the very large are visible." 4. "Refrigeration. I did my thesis on the evolution of technology and its influence on the globalization of cuisine. It’s really wild how we used to eat what grew seasonally within 150 miles of our home." 5. "Washing machines. Economists have argued that its impact is similar to that of the internet. Washing clothes by hand takes a long, loooong time. Washing machines made it much easier for more women to enter the workforce." 6. "Wi-Fi, we use it every day, but barely think about how life-changing it really is." 7. "Velcro — silent hero of shoes, jackets, and countless inventions." 8. "The axle. The wheel gets all the credit, but the axle makes the wheel useful (pottery wheels, millstones, transporting things). They were invented at the same time, it's said." 9. "The existence of elevators unlocked a whole new kind of human habitation and existence. We were more or less always able to build very, very tall things, or at least things taller than was desirable for a habitation you'd have to walk all the way up and down every day — but the existence of elevators *immediately* enabled us to go as high as engineering was capable of making a building." 10. "The needle (a mate told me this years ago) because it enabled people to stitch skins together, make clothes, and stay warm." 11. "Tampons, pads, and menstrual cups. Of course, we've been sticking things in our pants for millennia, but the belt-and-strap getup your grandmother had to deal with was a ridiculous pain to wear compared to what's available now." 12. "Handwashing, especially before preparing food and before performing medical procedures. It's actually wild how many people were killed by doctors before handwashing was normalized." 13. "Contraceptive pills: They gave women control over their own bodies and lives. Birth control pills made it possible to plan families, pursue education, build careers, and reduce unplanned pregnancies. That freedom and independence have completely reshaped society forever." 14. "I’d say the shipping container. It doesn’t sound glamorous, but standardizing those metal boxes completely transformed global trade. They made transporting goods faster, cheaper, and more reliable, which basically fueled globalization as we know it today. Without them, online shopping, affordable electronics, and even fresh produce from across the world wouldn’t be nearly as accessible." 15. "I had my 95-year-old grandmother answer a question about what tech in her lifetime changed her life the most. She said vulcanized tires."
