Best Pre 19th Century Invention

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Fnord
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24 Jul 2019, 9:43 am

Trueno wrote:

The pointed stick sharpener... without which the pointed stick would not have been possible.

Stone Tools: Axe-heads, hammers, knives, spear points ... these may have all come later (debatable), as you can sharpen a stick by rubbing it against just about any rough rock.

"Ogg drag stick on ground. See pointy end. Drag more stick on ground. Get tired. Pick up rock. Sit down. Make many pointy stick. Now Ogg new name 'Pointy-Stick-Man'. Good name."

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Trueno
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24 Jul 2019, 10:18 am

I was thinking something more like an enormous pencil sharpener with maybe a flint wedged in it or something. It must have been sooo Neanderthal to drag your stick along the ground.

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naturalplastic
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24 Jul 2019, 2:03 pm

Trueno wrote:

I was thinking something more like an enormous pencil sharpener with maybe a flint wedged in it or something. It must have been sooo Neanderthal to drag your stick along the ground.

you're overthinking it.

Somebody just broke a chip of a rock, and there it was …. a hard sharp blade.

And then they used the blade to sharpen a stick like we would use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil.

Then they use the sharp stick to whatever (stab game, or stab an enemy human).

Simple, but it changed the world.

Wolfram87
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24 Jul 2019, 5:09 pm

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

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JustFoundHere
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24 Jul 2019, 5:14 pm

Leonardo Da Vinci's inventions (LINK) are often at the top of the list of best inventions before the 1800s.

LINK: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_a ... _invention

Fnord
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24 Jul 2019, 5:16 pm

Wolfram87 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

... and the next guy who figured out that a thickly-woven lattice of reeds could stop most thrown rocks, while a well-thrown spear would pass right through the other guy's shield and stop the rocks from being thrown.

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Wolfram87
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24 Jul 2019, 5:18 pm

Fnord wrote:

Wolfram87 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

...and thus the arms-race began.

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Fnord
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24 Jul 2019, 5:23 pm

Wolfram87 wrote:

Fnord wrote:

Wolfram87 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

...and thus the arms-race began.

I do not know what World War Three will be fought with, but World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones.

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Wolfram87
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24 Jul 2019, 5:30 pm

Fnord wrote:

Wolfram87 wrote:

Fnord wrote:

Wolfram87 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

...and thus the arms-race began.

I do not know what World War Three will be fought with, but World War Four will be fought with sticks and stones.

Einstein was nothing if not insightful. But the arms-race will more than likely just start over from there, because:

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Fnord
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24 Jul 2019, 7:19 pm

Ol' Uncle Albert was a very wise man.

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TheRevengeofTW1ZTY
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24 Jul 2019, 7:27 pm

Fnord wrote:

Ol' Uncle Albert was a very wise man.

After reading his commentary about how great and generous America is and how horrible Europe is I bet he'd be singing a different tune now if he could see what our country has become today.

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Fnord
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24 Jul 2019, 7:34 pm

TheRevengeofTW1ZTY wrote:

Fnord wrote:

Ol' Uncle Albert was a very wise man.

After reading his commentary about how great and generous America is and how horrible Europe is I bet he'd be singing a different tune now if he could see what our country has become today.

It depends. He was a Jew, and current sentiment against Jews is increasing in Europe, due to the influx of Muslim refugees from Africa and the Middle East.

Here in the U.S., while there are citizens who express hate-filled and ignorant bigotry against Jews, Israel, and Zionism in general, Jews themselves are still welcome.

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TheRevengeofTW1ZTY
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24 Jul 2019, 7:40 pm

Fnord wrote:

TheRevengeofTW1ZTY wrote:

Fnord wrote:

Ol' Uncle Albert was a very wise man.

After reading his commentary about how great and generous America is and how horrible Europe is I bet he'd be singing a different tune now if he could see what our country has become today.

Yup. But Islamophobia is all good here. We love to rape and torture Muslim POWs over in the middle east and take photographs of it don't we? :roll:

TheRevengeofTW1ZTY
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24 Jul 2019, 7:49 pm

Damn, I'm derailing another topic. I'm sorry. :oops:

Um another great invention... electricity!

naturalplastic
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25 Jul 2019, 2:42 am

Wolfram87 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

Simple, but it changed the world.

...until they met the guy who figured out that just throwing the rocks was much more effective.

Throwing a heavy rock is not more efficient.Its less efficient.

the point is that long before even Neanderthals early hominids had "core stones"- big rocks that they could smack with hammer stones to easily knap off flakes - the flakes being useful ready made sharp cutting blades. Blades to butcher meat, or to sharpen sticks, or to chop veggies.

Last edited by naturalplastic on 25 Jul 2019, 3:12 am, edited 1 time in total.

Wolfram87
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25 Jul 2019, 3:05 am

I said effective, not efficient. And I meant specifically in terms of combat effectiveness. A pointy stick will probably make nastier wounds, but superior range is a big advantage.

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