The 100 Most Influential Inventors of All Time

Just a few hundred years ago, life was far different than it is today. When people wanted to travel or communicate, they had to go on foot or horseback. A journey of just a few miles by this method could be a long, arduous process. Whatever people owned—from clothing to tools—had to be made by hand. Work was manual, laborious, and often tedious. Illness was a constant threat; diseases rapidly spread through unsanitary conditions and were difficult to treat with the rudimentary medicines available.