Here is an list of the top 25 innovations of all time. Innovations, we learn, are not just inventions:

"...it is a process of making changes by introducing valuable new methods, ideas, or products. “Innovations” are the things themselves—the ideas, methods, and processes. It’s not simply that better mousetrap; it’s different ways of thinking and doing. Innovations may of course be inventions, but they may also be beliefs, organizational methods, and discoveries. An innovation is a value-creation mechanism. It is the way we humans manage to extract more value, generate more economic surplus and therefore more leisure time, and manage to get away from just hunting and gathering".

From stone to silicon - these innovations have changed the way we have learned to survive and adapt. Thank heavens for fire, writing, communication - as well as dishwashers and personal video recorders (oh, and caller identification).......