Game-Changers

For The Inquisitor's October edition, Towerview asked Duke faculty and staff the question, "Which discovery most changed the course of history?" Find out what they have to say.

“As a librarian, I feel obligated to propose that the printing press or perhaps the Internet most changed the course of history. Both have been responsible for the democratization of information and the ability to easily spread new ideas.... I might [also] offer the vaccine as instrumental in eradicating killer diseases and improving the overall health of the world. Personally, the invention of the engine and the airplane, allowing us to travel to other countries and experience different cultures, has made the world a more interesting place.”

“The discovery that most changed history was the invention of the printing press, because it democratized knowledge and enabled people outside the elite to disseminate ideas and arguments cheaply—which was a big change in the power structure. Up to that point, even the big innovations like the invention of writing, money, beer, and so on still didn't alter the power structure of society that much. After the invention of money, for example, we just had another tool to use to enforce our existing social structure, which then became like a bunch of chimpanzees but with money.”

“The most pivotal ‘discovery’ in history may have been the voyages to the Americas beginning in the late 15th century. This age of discovery fueled the imagination of Europeans and began to provide people avenues to affect cultural change and to alter their individual destinies by immigrating to a new world with new possibilities. The foundations of the early modern world set in motion the forces that have resulted in the globalization we experience today.”

"In a word, DOMESTICATION. By growing our own livestock and crops, humans were able to settle in locations and not have to chase down meals or resources that may be sporadic and quickly depleted. Even more importantly, domestication gave us 'control' over these things via artificial selection—making juicy, sweet corn from dry maize; woolly sheep from mostly hairy ancestors; and friendly, sociable dogs and guinea pigs from their wild progenitors. Finally, and much more recently, these products of artificial selection continue to provide critical insights into our world by helping us appreciate how natural selection works.”

Laura Williams, Music Librarian

“My first impulse, having just come back from Italy, is to say that the answer has to be gelato, but I think that’s actually the answer to a different question: ‘What has been the best invention for the good of mankind? ;)’”