Top 20 Smartest Decisions in History
#20: Johannes Gutenberg Invents the Printing Press
When it comes to widespread literacy rates, we have German inventor Johannes Gutenberg to thank. Born in the Holy Roman Empire, Gutenberg is credited with inventing the printing press in the early 15th century. This effectively killed the likes of manuscript and block printing, as Gutenberg’s invention spread through the world and brought about the so-called “Printing Revolution.” Thanks to Gutenberg’s readily-available and easy-to-use invention, things like books, pamphlets, and newspapers became commonplace, allowing information to spread freely through global societies. Furthermore, literacy rates rapidly expanded, effectively bringing an end to adult illiteracy. Basically, the modern world would look a lot different if Gutenberg wasn’t around to help fix it.
#19: Harnessing Fire
We don’t know who the first person to start a fire was, but they deserve a posthumous medal or something. Basically, we are where we are today - not just as a global society, butas a species - because someone decided to harness fire. The use of fire long predates homo sapiens, with the earliest evidence of it dating back about two million years. To put that into perspective, homo sapiens have only been around for about 300,000. The use of fire allowed for all sorts of technological advantages - making tools, warding off predators, and cooking food being a few major ones. We learned that fire was not to be feared, but utilized, and with that decision, the course of human history was forever changed.
#18: Tim Berners-Lee Opens the Internet
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Alright, maybe a case could be made that the internet was not a good invention. But putting things into perspective, it brought about a lot of positive changes and undeniably altered the world. The internet was devised by an English computer scientist named Tim Berners-Lee, who first thought of the idea in 1989. The early internet was private and used between shared institutions, including Berners-Lee’s own CERN. However, it didn’t stay private for long. After just a few years of tinkering, the source code was released to the public on April 30, 1993, making the internet free and accessible to all. As of 2021, nearly 8 billion people use the internet. It’s astounding how much change can occur in just 28 short years.
#17: Making the Louisiana Purchase
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The history of the United States is complex, filled with treaties, land purchases, wars, and all sorts of different countries. Once upon a time, Middle America (or Louisiana) was owned by France, then it went to Spain, then it went back to France when Napoleon traded it for Tuscany. But Napoleon eventually shrugged at the prospect of owning land in North America, and besides, he had a massive war to fund in Europe. Enter Thomas Jefferson, who really wanted New Orleans for its strategic location on the Mississippi. Through his Treasury Minister François Barbé-Marbois, Napoleon offered not only New Orleans, but the entirety of Louisiana. Jefferson couldn’t believe the bargain and swiftly agreed, effectively doubling the size of the United States.
#16: Creating Metal
Look around you right now. Chances are that you can see something made out of metal. Well, you can thank our distant ancestors for that. Humans have been using metal since prehistory, with copper and meteoric iron being favorites. But it wasn’t until we made bronze that things really took off. An alloy of copper and tin, it brought about the Bronze Age and swiftly altered human history. Beginning in about 3300 BCE, the Bronze Age introduced rapid technological advancement owing to the sturdiness of the alloy, which was far stronger than straight copper. Metalworking became commonplace, which in turn led to enormous revolutions in tool and weapon production. And that’s to say nothing of the massive changes to economics, art, and agriculture.
#15: Forming the United Nations
World War II had just decimated the globe, and the world had had enough. The League of Nations, which was established back in 1920, clearly didn’t work, so we needed a new international organization to help keep the peace. Enter the Dumbarton Oaks Conference, which took place throughout the latter half of 1944. Held between the U.S., the U.K., the Soviet Union, and China, it formulated the idea of the United Nations, which was officially established in 1945. Its reception and success has been mixed, but it did one thing that it set out to do, and that was to prevent future world wars. Who’s to say what would have happened if the United Nations was not established?
#14: Henry Ford Makes the Assembly Line
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Born in 1863, Henry Ford’s farmer parents couldn’t imagine what their son would do for the world. No, they literally couldn’t imagine it, as it simply didn’t exist yet. Young Ford immediately took to cars and created the Ford Motor Company in 1903 at the age of 40. Said company revolutionized mass production and manufacturing, with his iconic assembly line changing the world of business forever. His innovative techniques became commonplace and continue to be used to this day. They also allowed for the rapid production of cheaper goods, and therefore, cheaper cars. Suffice to say, cheap cars have been a monumental factor in the 20th century’s rapid technological development.
#13: Writing Down Our Languages
Humans first started writing around 3500 BCE. This script is called cuneiform, and it was used in southern Mesopotamia to document the likes of contracts, finances, and law. Yeah, nothing very fun, but hey, it only changed the world. Writing then went through many changes, including the Phoenician alphabet of the Mediterranean. Created in about 1050 BC, this eventually morphed into the Euboean alphabet, which morphed into the Old Italic, which finally gave rise to the Latin alphabet used by the Ancient Romans. And they pretty much perfected it. We still use the Romans’ letters to this day, and in 1888 they were standardized by the International Phonetic Association to create the International Phonetic Alphabet.
#12: Conducting the Human Genome Project
Beginning in 1990, the world got together and decided, “All right. Let’s figure this whole DNA thing out.” Called the Human Genome Project, it was a massive undertaking in which scientists from around the world hoped to identify, map, and sequence our genes. And, well, they did. But this was no small undertaking. It cost billions of dollars, was performed in twenty universities across the world, and took thirteen years to complete, lasting from 1990 to 2003. But all that money and hard work paid off, as they pretty much nailed what they set out to do. Mapping 92% of the human genome, they found all 25,000 genes, learned to read the code, and identified problem genes, which in turn created more effective medicine.
#11: Newton Studies the Fallen Apple
There are many misconceptions regarding the legendary Isaac Newton apple story. For one thing, Newton did not “discover” gravity. He already knew it existed, as did many big thinkers before him. Rather, Newton was studying “universal gravitation,” or more broadly, the idea that gravity is responsible for a moon’s orbit. Furthermore, an apple did not fall on Newton’s head. Rather, he was visiting his family farm in Lincolnshire when he went for a walk through the garden and observed an apple falling from its tree. It was the strike of inspirational lightning that he needed, and it allowed him to formulate the three laws of motion and his revolutionary theories on universal gravitation. And to think, he could have just ignored it!
#10: Farming
For many, many years, humans simply wandered from place to place, living off the land and desperately hoping that it provided. For 90% of human history, this is how we lived. And it sucked. But about 10,000 years ago, we had the brilliant idea to begin the practice of agriculture. This practice started independently in many parts of the world. China domesticated rice and beans, Mesopotamia sheep, South America potatoes, New Guinea sugar cane, Mesoamerica maize, and Eurasia boars and pigs. With this wild idea, humanity transitioned from active hunter-gatherers to more sedentary civilizations, allowing us a much safer and more prosperous future.
#9: Assaulting the Beaches on D-Day
When it came time for the Normandy landings of 1944, it was pretty much do or die for the Allied forces. Germany had successfully occupied France in June 1940, and it remained under their control for four years. The Allies, hoping to liberate Europe from Nazi control, launched Operation Neptune and stormed the beaches of Normandy. This required extensive planning, an entire deception called Operation Bodyguard, and studying the phases of the moon to determine the best possible time of attack. They even delayed the operation by 24 hours, as the weather on June 5 was not ideal and could have led to disaster. It was one genius decision after another, and the Allied victory precipitated the end of World War II.
#8: Making the Magna Carta
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Medieval Latin for “Great Charter,” Magna Carta was first created in 1215 by the Archbishop of Canterbury and signed by King John of England. At the time, a group of barons were rebelling against the King’s rule. To stifle the political dissatisfaction, King John agreed to sign a charter of rights, most of them concerning the feudal power of the monarchy. The Magna Carta was extensively used in the 17th century against the divine right of kings, which basically meant that a monarch lived outside the law and could do whatever he wanted. The Magna Carta put an end to that absolute power. It also served as the basis for the United States Constitution, effectively giving rise to modern democracy and constitutional law.
#7: Benjamin Rush Writes About the Darned Mosquitoes
And speaking of the United States Constitution, let’s talk about Founding Father Benjamin Rush! Rush was of paramount importance during the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic of 1793, in which 5,000 of the city’s 50,000 residents died. While most of the citizens fled the city, Rush stayed behind to study the disease. At the time, no one knew that mosquitoes were responsible. In fact, Rush believed that it was caused by garbage and “some damaged coffee.” However, he also wrote that mosquitoes were “uncommonly numerous” during the epidemic - a fact that was noticed by Cuban doctor Carlos Finlay nearly one hundred years later. Finlay became the first person to deduce that yellow fever came from mosquitoes, and he directly credited Rush for the idea.
#6: Inventing the Wheel
It’s not very glamorous, but the wheel is arguably the greatest invention in human history. Heck, we’re still using them, aren’t we? No one really knows who invented the wheel, although it’s often credited to Mesopotamia. The modern wheel - that is, a circular piece of wood with a hole for an axle - is usually traced to the Copper Age, around 3500 BCE. The Ljubljana Marshes Wheel, found in modern-day Slovenia, is the oldest known wheel ever discovered, being about 5,000 years old. Someone along the way slapped some wheels on a cart, and with that, the entire future of trade, agriculture, and transportation was laid out in stark and promising detail.
#5: Mikhail Gorbachev Tears Down the Wall
It’s amazing how much history was packed into the 20th century. Heck, even how much history was packed into the latter half of it. Construction of the Berlin Wall began in 1961, symbolizing the Cold War and the fierce political divide in Europe. The Wall itself ran through Berlin, dividing West from East and containing the East’s communist citizens. They remained trapped for over two decades, until the East German government allowed its citizens to cross in 1989. This historic event not only symbolized the end of the Cold War and communism, it led to the entire dissolution of the Soviet Union just a few years later. For his role in tearing down the wall, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
#4: Edward Jenner Inoculates James Phipps
Edward Jenner changed the course of human history when he invented the world’s first vaccine. Smallpox was a devastating disease in Jenner’s time, killing up to 10% of the global population. But Jenner theorized that the pus from cowpox provided immunity to the far deadlier smallpox. Jenner procured some cowpox pus and inoculated his gardener’s eight year old son, James Phipps. This was a huge risk, but the test worked and Phipps was successfully vaccinated against smallpox. Jenner later published his findings, leading to the eradication of smallpox and the introduction of vaccines. Years later, Jonas Salk would prove a similar hero when he refused to patent the polio vaccine. Just 25 years later, it was completely eradicated in the United States.
#3: Washington Decides Against a Third Term
On April 30, 1789, Founding Father George Washington made history and became the first President of the United States. He ran for two terms, finally leaving office on March 4, 1797. But unlike today, this leave of office was not mandatory. Rather, it was Washington’s idea. For one thing, he feared the executive and unchecked rule of a monarchy. He also loved the idea of a peaceful transfer of power and was inspired by Ancient Rome, especially the story of Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus and how he relinquished his own power as statesman. Plus, he was just really tired. Running a country is hard, you know! By stepping down, Washington set a democratic precedent that is still in use today.
#2: Alexander Fleming Leaves Out a Petri Dish
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One of the greatest advancements of the 20th century was completely fortuitous. Sometimes we catch a break. Scottish microbiologist Alexander Fleming worked in London’s St. Mary’s Hospital, studying the bacteria staphylococcus. One day, he left staphylococci on a petri dish and left for vacation. When he returned, the dish was full of mold, yet the staphylococci around the mold had been curiously destroyed. This mold was penicillium, and it was actively killing bacteria. Upon further tests, Fleming discovered its antibacterial properties and introduced the world to antibiotics. Good thing he didn’t throw out that dish! As he famously said, “I did not invent penicillin. Nature did that. I only discovered it by accident.”
#1: Khrushchev Leaves Cuba
Nikita Khrushchev was in office during the famous Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when American forces discovered Soviet missile facilities in nearby Cuba. Tensions mounted as the world escalated closer toward nuclear war. Luckily, it ended in one of the world’s greatest diplomatic victories. The United States agreed not to invade Cuba and to remove their nuclear missiles from Turkey. In exchange, Khrushchev ordered the removal of his warheads from Cuba. While the decision humiliated Khrushchev and led to his political downfall, it was arguably the smartest decision ever made in human history. Without it, we could all be living in a nuclear wasteland. Stanislav Petrov would save the world in a similar manner in 1983, when he refused to retaliate against a false alarm.
Would you have made these same decisions? Let us know in the comments below!
