"Necessity is the mother of all inventions"
Google search for "greatest inventor" , you will find many searches (585,000 to be exact!). Do not worry; I shall summarize the top searches for you.
One Website (http://www.nikola-tesla.com/) tells us about Nikola Tesla being the greatest of all times. No doubt, his contribution in electromagnetism is unquestionable. According to me, his contribution IS the most important in this field. The only reason many people do not remember him is because of his American adversary Thomas Alva Edison and his lack of knowledge in patenting business. But to call him the greatest inventor... is not it kind of absurd.
Second link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_inventors) has to be Wikipedia; a list of all the inventors which appeared on the face of this earth. But it forgot one very important inventor; keep guessing, I will tell you in the end (Hint: initials of this inventor is M.N.)
Third link (http://library.thinkquest.org/5847/halloffame.htm) is created six students and contains the following names in its Hall Of Fame (you can also add a name to it)
Alexander Bell: invented the telephone; a very important invention, revolutionized telecommunications for good, no doubt an inductee in Hall Of Fame, but still not the best.
George Carver: invented many uses for peanuts; I am not a great fan of peanuts, so I cannot exactly say anything on it.
Marie Curie: discovered radium; with all due respect to her, we are talking about inventors, NOT discoverers. Otherwise she really deserved a top spot (Hint: M.N. is female.)
George Eastman: invented film; for me, film is a means of entertainment, not actually a very important invention, when you compare it with airplanes, cars, etc.
Henry Ford: invented assembly line and car; very important, no doubt. But then again, his one invention is single-handedly killing environment. He is a very important inventor, but not the best
Benjamin Franklin: part discoverer, part inventor, he belongs to a separate category, in which people like Leonardo Da Vinci, Isaac newton belonged. This category consists of people who aren't satisfied with one invention, so keep doing things until they are buried in their graves; Top candidates, but still, not the best.
Now this link (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Who_is_the_greatest_inventor_of_all_time) is very good. I will quote it for you
Q- Who is the greatest inventor of all time?
A-There is no exact greatest inventor of all time, as every great inventor's contribution is equally important to the society throughout history. But the most probable candidates for the greatest inventor include: Nikola Tesla, Leonardo Da Vinci, Robert Goddard, Alexander Graham Bell (who is the first to patent the telephone), Thomas Edison (for his invention of the improved light bulb), Archimedes and the guy who invented the first modern telescope back in the Renaissance Era, etc.
I noticed something peculiar- many notable inventors are not included. For example, the person who introduced counting and numbers to humanity, the inventor of wheel and clothes...all these are very important inventions. It's kind of insulting; not insulting our forefathers in this list, even if they are anonymous in the pages of history.
You can keep searching for more articles, each with different views and ideas. So I end by telling the name of the greatest inventor- according to me, which I hope all will agree.
Have you ever wondered about elements and substances which were discovered and are yet to be discovered; who made them? How did it come? How useful is it to us?
Consider the example of oxygen. Discovered in 1772, this gas was then known as "fire gas" . It's the crucial element for our survival, therefore a very important element. Carl Scheele discovered it. But who invented it? Well folks, the answer is simple...MOTHER NATURE. She IS the greatest inventor of all times. Mankind's every single discovery has been her invention. Early Man wanted food, clothes, fire and all other things, which was provided by Mother Nature, not some creepy looking Martian who came in ‘peace' "V" . Come to think of it, almost every invention of man is indirectly related to an invention of Mother Nature. Everything is being provided in this huge warehouse, you just have to find it. So I think I can safely say that
"Mother Nature is the mother of all inventions "
