I heard a radio program asking older listeners to tell what invention had the biggest impact in their lives. I was surprised to hear one say that fly screens for windows was a blessing. I realised how we take such items that improve our lives for granted. Over the last 100 years what 3 items do you think made a big difference in daily lives. For me:

1. Inside showers.
2. Photocopyers. Typing 5 copies with carbon paper was a nightmare.
3. Remote channel changer. You guessed it I am a male.

What about Computers and the Internet? No more writing letters or standing in the post office to buy stamps.

1. Electricity
2. Motor vehicles
3. Washing machines

1 Indoor lavatories
2 Computer Printers
3 Digital Cameras

1. Ballpoint pens (Ink pens made such a mess)
2. Cake mixes (At last I could bake a decent cake)
3. Hair dryers and curlers

1. Air Conditioners
2. Hot water heaters
3. The telephone

1. Frozen meals
2. Disposable diapers/nappies
3. Electronic gates

1. reliable birth control
2. mass-production in general
3. computers & internet

1) an efficient & usualy smell free sewerage system.
2) telecomunications
3) to a large no.) Various items of medical equipment.

1. First, the electric typewriter
2. Then the computer & keyboard
3. The microwave oven.

All had a direct impact on my life. The computer would have made life a lot easier at work had I been able to write one letter and merge it for each and every Senator and Representative instead of typing 700 of them.

Plastic
Refrigeration
Debit cards


My mom was telling a story once about going on a three day journey to somewhere with two toddlers and a new baby. "Of course, those were the days before plastic bags...." I honestly cannot imagine. Forget about disposable diapers - not even a bag to put the sopping wet cloth ones in! Rubberized canvas was the best you could do.

Refrigeration speaks for itself.

I was just entering adulthood back in the days when it really mattered if you didn't get to the bank before it closed. If you got there at 3:05 Friday afternoon, you were out of money until 10:00 Monday morning.

Electric refrigerators - i grew up in the days of kero fridges - people in the city had mains power, but we had a 32 volt generator.
Computers - i never did pay attention in my typing classes, so spent a lot of time retyping everything
The pressure pump that supplies my water - at mains pressure, so i can have a decent shower.
As you can probably tell, i grew up on a farm without a lot of "modern" conveniences.

Was just having a conversation with Mum the other night about this and her biggest thing was the washing machine.

For me it would be computer/internet - honestly don't know how I'd live here without it!

Just asked the other half and he pretty much agrees with Tezza as far as fridges and pumps go! We just got our kitchen re-done and it still had the marks up the wall from the old kero fridge.

My Great-Grandmoter (who is still alive) I thought would have an intersting perspective on this one, so I asked her.

She loves her 'picture wireless' (the telly) because she can see how beautiful people are in the stories, and they look much different to how she imagined them in her mind. My Nan watches a whole lot of made-for-tv movies and miniseries, especially ones made from books.

The telephone - she loves the phone, because she doesn't have to wait for the post if someone wants to tell her something, or if she wants to tell someone else something.

The automobile - she tells stories of when she was a girl, her father bought one of the first motor-cars in Tamworth. She says that she felt like a princess, riding along in a special carriage, while her friends would walk or jog alongside talking to her! (That cracked me up for many years when I was younger).

She also remembers her first 'automated' washing machine - one that had a wringer that ran off electricity. She says that she shed tears of joy the day that she received her first 'twin-tub' washing machine - for her, that was the height of automation as she didn't have to wring out the clothes, just put them into the special 'electric bucket' and it spun all of the water out of them.

So many stories - I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't taken the time to record them all before she leaves us (not that she's planning to any time soon, mind).

Nobody has mentioned sliced bread yet as it was the greatest invention at one time.
I was confused by Vene's three as her first and second contradicted themselves.
I would agree with all the others already chosen. I would like to add that the worst invention has got to be the mobile phone if it is the wrong hands which unfortunately it is most of the time.

it makes me wonder if the three items we list tell us a lot about ourselves, who we are , our priorities in our lives, wether we are young or old

-automobiles in general
-electricity
- and speaking as someone who grew up in the American southwest -air conditioning

Balm-soaked tissues (they stopped my nose getting red and cracked every time I had a cold, and colds, though nothing like serious illness or broken limbs, are miserable enough...)
The aircraft
Asthma inhalers

1. Computer/Internet (if that wasn't around, all of us would have a Lot more times on their hands! )
2. Digital Camera (we can take pictures of loved ones whenever we want!)
3. Washing machine (very handy things)

I liked Jar mentioning the typewriter/computer. I began to learn on a big manual typewriter. The carbon copy paper was a pest to deal with, but the satisfying " DING " at the end of each line was always worth it A computer is much easier than a typewriter though

1. Sneakers
2. Telephones
3. Crockpots

The last one is personal as I usually work 10 hour days and live alone. I would rather not spend an extra hour cooking or only use the microwave!

And most of the issues that you all have mentioned are the result of Nikola Tesla, who was so far ahead of his time, that some people and the government deemed him as 'nuts'. But when he died in 1943, the government was quick to respond by confiscating all of his research papers in a low profile and covert move. I'm sure that in addition to his creative invention of the alternating current (AC) and the conductive motor, his 'death ray' that he tested in the 1930s, is even now the laser beam that the government has 'invented through their own research'. Both Edison who invented DC electricity, and Westinghouse who tried to steal Nikola's ideas, really duped Tesla. But, Nikola rose above them all with flying colors with the 1000s of patents and inventions, and the World's viewing of electricity that was created by Niagara Falls that changed the world to what it is today. Too bad that he didn't invent World Peace. :-(

Plumbing is the greatest invention..brings water to your house..takes waste away

Fire was a wonderful invention cause I don't think I could have eaten raw meat. Would have been a vegetarian for sure!

Toilet paper. Without that life would be much less pleasant. Sponge on a stick, anyone?

No fire = no pottery, metal, hot drinks (not just nice also disease free).

If you don't have a sponge there is dried leaves - check for thistles & nettles first.