Greatest British Invention

[chriswood1900]

A new programme starts tonight on BBC2 to find the Greatest British invention. My vote before seeing the programme is the Television, as it started the electronic revolution that provided most of the gadgets and technology we now take for granted. Lets see what others think!

Chris

[stitch1]

We can live without TV, and I'd like to say 'wireless' but steam engines probably had the biggest impact and still do.
But maybe it should be the internet it's had a huge impact on the world and we'd struggle to survive without it even though it wasn't that long ago we did.

I suppose it depends how you define 'greatest'.

John

[Radio Wrangler]

The steam engine started the study of thermodynamics and that opened up a whole world of things.

Most of us wouldn't be here without antibiotics.... or without the egg-shaped sewer for that matter.

Frankly, I don't like the seeming compulsion of everything and everyone being ranked in orders. There are many good inventions and they're all different and they're all good and I like them all.

David

[MrBungle]

I bet it goes to Dyson or Baylis or someone.

For me, the railway. If it wasn't for that, we wouldn't have had the industrial revolution and wouldn't have had all the other things.

[ms660]

Wotta swizz, they're not on the voting list....Fish and Chips! Pukka Pies!!!!!

"No pies are left in this van overnight"

Lawrence.

[julie_m]

The Industrial Revolution would never have come about without the Agricultural Revolution (growing your food near your home means you don't have to spend so much time going out in the dangerous wilderness and catching it; therefore, you have more time to do other things and a better chance of getting to do them). And that in turn would never have arisen if a group of ape-like beings had never decided that the trees were getting boring and it would be fun to try walking upright on the open grassy plains below .....

Good engineering is good engineering, irrespective of scale. I'm qualified as an electronic engineer, with time served mainly on gas controls, but now work in computers. Just a stone's throw from my office is the steepest lock on the Trent and Mersey Canal -- a wonderful demonstration of hydraulic principles in action, and the perfect accompaniment to tea and a muffin on a fine lunchtime

[paulsherwin]

The British didn't invent the internet, it was a US military project that was subsequently used to network universities and spread from there. Tim Berners-Lee arguably invented the world wide web while at CERN, which was much later and a completely different thing.

TV is something which lots of countries claim, but the Americans have a better claim than the British since the Baird mechanical system was a technological dead end.

Personally I hate these attempts to claim technologies for nationalistic reasons.

[chriswood1900]

The winner was Antibiotics. I think with hindsight I would choose the steam engine.
Chris

[Station X]

The "safety" bicycle.

[mark_in_manc]

Originally Posted by Radio Wrangler

Most of us wouldn't be here without antibiotics.... or without the egg-shaped sewer for that matter.

Manchester's museum of science and industry just did away with its 'sewers' section; it wasn't very well-patronised and they're going to make a wizzy something-or-other space out of it, but I liked it for reasons of its social importance, as pointed out above - and my kids liked 'the poo museum' as kids do.

[McMurdo]

Cheerful-enough programme in a similar vein to the 'greatest briton' a few years ago. I would imagine alot of viewers wouldn't have known what was, and was not , a british invention. If there's contention as to whom invented it, (such as the telephone Elisha Gray/Bell argument) I feel the decent thing is to err on the side of the British option. Nothing wrong with a bit of patriotism.

Shame they had to film it in front of an American Lockheed Constellation airliner though. Wouldn't mind a poke about in those stores!!

[chriswood1900]

Kevin they do occasionally have open days at the stores, keep watching for the dates.
Chris

[Radio Wrangler]

Manchester's museum of science and industry just did away with its 'sewers' section; it wasn't very well-patronised and they're going to make a wizzy something-or-other space out of it, but I liked it for reasons of its social importance, as pointed out above - and my kids liked 'the poo museum' as kids do.

Just so long as they didn't replace it with a modernised an interactive version!

David

[Reelman]

For me it has to be the Iron Bridge in Shropshire, being the first of its kind fabricated from cast iron, and one of the few which have survived to the present day. You can stand on the bridge today and just think how much has descended from it. It makes you proud!
Peter

[Dave Moll]

Unfortunately, I wasn't available to watch the programme, but I was a little surprised to see concrete included in the list during the advertising clips. I thought that originated with the Romans.

[Brigham]

Concrete might be like Television: the Roman sort doesn't count because it has been superseded by a newer sort.

[SteveCG]

... We started watching the programme and then gave up on it...

As others have said already - quite a few of the things have a complex history that spans countries and continents - Nipkow disk anyone?

[peter_scott]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

TV is something which lots of countries claim, but the Americans have a better claim than the British since the Baird mechanical system was a technological dead end.

Personally I hate these attempts to claim technologies for nationalistic reasons.

Baird was great on publicity but Campbell Swinton was really the precursor for Zworykin. http://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk/Emitron.htm

Peter

[Station X]

A few years ago I visited The Science Museum in Moscow. The Russians claim to have invented just about everything including TV.

[ColinTheAmpMan1]

Originally Posted by Station X

The Russians claim to have invented just about everything including TV.

To slightly misquote Mandy Rice-Davies, "they would, wouldn't they?" I think this is true, more or less, of any Nationality. Tea, anyone?
Colin.