‘What’s an invention that quietly changed the world but doesn’t get enough credit?’ – 23 design classics that somehow went under the radar

When it comes to innovations that have made a huge mark on the world, we tend to think of the big stuff like the internet or the steam engine or penicillin. But what about the smaller things which have done an equally important job but are for some reason less celebrated.

They’ve been unearthing these unsung heroes on the AskReddit page after user forgeris posted this:

‘What’s an invention that quietly changed the world but doesn’t get enough credit?’

And lots of people stepped in with the innovations that deserve more attention than they usually get, like these…

1.

‘Washing machines and bicycles were big factors in allowing women to organise and gain suffrage.’
–Bat-manuel

2.

‘Refrigeration.’
–Running-With-Cakes

3.

‘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 and now we have all sorts of products available to us 365 flown/shipped in from around the world.

‘The downside is that it led to producers choosing varieties that are shelf stable and bland and we no longer appreciate the seasons for specific products, we just expect it all year round.’
–Mofiremofire

4.

‘If toilets were invented today, they’d likely need electricity and have microchips in them. Instead, we have a remarkable system that works on gravity and siphoning. Amazing.’
–gachunt

5.

‘The axle. The wheel gets all the credit but the axle makes the wheel useful (pottery wheel, millstone, transporting stuff). They were invented at the same time, it is said.’
–georage

6.

‘I’m amazed nobody has said this yet, but ball bearings.’
–PancAshAsh

7.

‘Pasteurisation. Germ theory.’

8.

‘Lenses. Just squish a ball of glass and, woah! Whole new worlds from the very small to the very large are visible.’
–No_Consideration_339

9.

‘Three-point seatbelt. Saved over a million lives. People use one everyday without even thinking. So important the inventor created it and then said, ‘Here you go world, all yours…’.’
–Soofla

10.

‘That was Volvo. They just said, this is not for profit, this is for saving lives.’
–Reidar666

11.

‘Synthetic insulin. Type 1 diabetes is no longer a death sentence.’
–fords42

12.

‘The shipping container.’
–Important-Sir-3956