(Edison’s phonograph for playing recorded music was one of the 40 most useful, indispensable, beneficial technologies)
Medicine
-birth control
-autopsies
-cancer radiation
-artificial insulin
-penicillin and antibiotics
-vaccines
-aspirin
-Prozac
-artificial heart and other organs
-syringes
-band-aids and bandages
Communications and Transportation
-printing press
-telegraph and telephone
-typewriter
-photocopiers
-photography
-motion pictures
-bridges
-sanitation technology
-World Wide web
-traffic signals
-roads and highways
-seatbelts
-elevators
Industry
-steam engine
-jet engine
-hammer and nail
-assembly line
Science and Electronics
-modern numbers
-computer
-transistor
-microwave
-radio
-television
-phonograph
-calculator
Everyday Items
-drinking fountain
-toilet paper
-disposable diaper
-batteries
-lightbulb
(Adapted from the interesting National Geographic 101 Inventions That Shaped the World)