The British public have got their priorities in the right order it seems. When asked to vote on the most important inventions of all time they did not disappoint.
While the Internet, the wheel and of course penicillin all made the cut it was the mighty teabag that has made sure the list is truly authentic.
The poll was carried out by English Heritage as part of a nationwide exhibition by the charity called “Ingenious!”.
Designed to showcase some of the greatest inventions throughout history it will include innovative objects from ground-breaking Roman armour at Corbridge Roman Town in Northumberland to a state-of-the-art 1930s vacuum cleaner at Eltham Palace, London.
With the research also revealing people think the Victorian age was the most inventive, the displays also include an ice-cream maker from the era at Brodsworth Hall and the Bell telephone at Queen Victoria’s Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
The survey of 2,005 people by ICM Unlimited found some unsurprising choices in the top 10, including the wheel, light bulbs and penicillin, chosen from a long list of inventions over time.
But there were some more unexpected ones, with the British valuing the invention of the teabag, which has transformed the making of the average cuppa, while sewers, the plough and clocks also made it onto the list.
Teabags were invented by accident in 1908 when American entrepreneur Thomas Sullivan decided to package samples of tea in bags made of silk and customers assumed the teabags were intended to be dipped into hot water.
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Matt Thompson, head collections curator at English Heritage, said: “This summer, at our sites across the country, we’re celebrating ingenuity through the ages and – from prehistoric axes to vintage vacuum cleaners – we’re showcasing some of the most important inventions of all time.
“History has been built on ingenious inventions, big and small, and it’s fascinating today to hear what people find ingenious. The teabag was invented by accident but has stood the test of time.”
English Heritage is urging people to pick their favourite invention from the top 10 by voting at www.english-heritage.org.uk/ingeniousobjects.
The charity, which as around 100,000 artefacts on display across more than 400 sites at any time, also says it may have missed some ingenious objects and wants the public to get to its sites and let it know by tweeting #Ingenious with anything they think should have been included.
The top 10 inventions according to the survey are (in no particular order):
- The wheel
- The fridge
- Sewers
- The plough
- Penicillin
- The internet
- Armour
- Light bulbs
- The clock
- Teabags
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