Which country has done the most for the world? (Israeli, best, American)
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If we can reach back to antiquity, Greece, Italy, China and Egypt would top the list. Britain, France, Spain and Portugal did plenty in colonial times, good and bad, as well. And this board's American wankers will be glad to know that we top the list for modern times, I guess.
Of course, all that came with downsides (colonialism, and not just of the 13 colonies but of much the rest of the world, etc.). But I'd say GB takes the cake as far as how much was contributed to modernity.
Of course, all that came with downsides (colonialism, and not just of the 13 colonies but of much the rest of the world, etc.). But I'd say GB takes the cake as far as how much was contributed to modernity.
Yes, great point. I would say the Brits have done more than Rome for mankind. Whenever you travel around the world, the Brits are everywhere.
The British Isles gave the world many great things but I would hope people would learn to differentiate between the *internet* and the *world wide web*. The internet was a highly expensive research project involving many different government agencies and university departments back in the 60s.
"The Internet is a system which existed well before I invented the web, which connects all computers." ---Sir Tim Berners-Lee.
Here are some inventions from the U.S. I only included American-born inventors as to not step on anyone's toes.
The video game (Thomas T. Goldsmith & Estle Mann);
The industrial robot (George Devol & Joseph Engleberger);
The computer operating system (Owen Mock & Bob Patrick);
The laser (Theodore Maiman)
Integrated Circuit (Jack Kilby)
The weather satellite (Radio Corporation of America)
Global positioning system (Naval Research Lab,USAF,Aerospace Corporation,Rockwell International Corporationn,and IBM)
Communications satellite (ARPA)
Personal desktop computer (John Blankenbaker)
Plasma display (Donald Bitzer, H. Gene Slottow & Robert Willson)
Cordless phone (Teri Pall & George Sweigert)
Compact disc (James Russel)
Handheld calculator (Jack Kilby)
Liquid crystal display (George Heilmeier)
Kevlar (Stephanie Kwolek)
Virtual Reality (Ivan Sutherland)
Laser Printer (Gary Starkweather)
Microprocessor (Ted Hoff & Stanley Mazor)
E-mail (Ray Tomlinson)
Electric plug and socket (Harvey Hubbell)
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Dr. Raymond Damadian)
Mobile (Cell) phone (Martin Cooper)
Digital Camera (Steven Sasson)
Compact fluorescent light bulb (Ed Hammer)
The internet (Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn, and ARPANET team)
Stop sign (William Phelps Eno)
Smoke detector (Francis Robbins Upton & Fernando Dibble)
Refrigerator (Jacob Perkins & Oliver Evans)
Air conditioner (Willis Carrier)
Gas-powered tractor (John Froelich)
Airplane (Wilbur & Orville Wright; As recognized by F.A.I.)
Road surface marking (Edward Hines)
Electric traffic light (Lester Wire)
Toggle light switch (William Newton & Morris Goldberg)
Motorized ambulance (Frederick R. Wood)
Automated teller machine (Magnetic card swipe) (Don Wetzel)
Adhesive bandage (Earle Dickson)
Electric guitar (George Beauchamp)
Fiberglass (Russell Games Slayter)
Microwave (Percy Spencer)
Modern suspension bridge (James Finley)
Fire hydrant (Birdsill Holly)
Anesthesia (Dr. Crawford Long & Dr. William T.G. Morton)
Escalator (Jesse W. Reno)
Vacuum cleaner (Daniel Hess)
Cash register (James Ritty)
Electric iron (Henry W. Seeley)
Thermostat (Warren S. Johnson)
Dissolvable pill (William E. Upjohn)
Photographic film (George Eastman)
Skyscraper (William Le Baron Jenney)
Fuel dispenser; Gas pump (Sylvanus Bowser)
Dishwasher (Josephine Cochrane & Joel Houghton)
Revolving door (Theophilus Van Kannel)
Public telephone; Pay phone (William Gray)
Breakfast cereal (James Caleb Jackson)
Commercial toilet paper (Joseph Gayetty)
Pipe wrench (Daniel Stillson)
Tow truck (Ernest Holmes)
Light emitting diodes; LED's (Nick Holonyak)
Transistor (John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, & William Shockley)
Windsurfing (Newman Darby)
Barcode (Bernard Silver & Norman Woodland)
Volleyball (William G. Morgan)
Particle accelerator (Ernest O. Lawrence)
Vulcanized rubber (Charles Goodyear)
Nuclear power plant (Argonne National Laboratory)
Lockstitch sewing machine (Elias Howe)
Parking meter (Holger George Thuesen, Gerald A. Hale, & Carlton Magee)
Genetic engineering (Stanley N. Cohen & Herbert W. Boyer)
Gasoline powered lawnmower (Colonel Edwin George)
Credit card (Frank Mcnamara)
Photocopier (Chester Carlson)
Supercomputer (I.B.M.)
Radio telescope (Grote Reber)
Clear adhesive (scotch) tape (Richard G. Drew)
Aerosol spray can (Lyle Goodhue & William Sullivan)
Windshield wiper (Mary Anderson)
Modern fire truck (Daniel D. Hayes)
Wide-body aircraft (Joseph F. Sutter)
Motorcycle (Sylvester Howard Roper)
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Which country has done the most for the world?
