The clothing button.

What began as more of a brooch than a fastening implement followed a course through its beginnings during the bronze age to a status symbol of wealth in France, over seen by the Button Makers Guild. The guild only allowed the aristocracy to wear the more ornate buttons, limiting the rest of the population to thread or cloth covered buttons.

True to form the general populace wanted what the aristocracy had. By the middle of the next century France, then button capital of Europe, was mass producing buttons to be sold to everyone. They were so popular that the Church condemned them.

For the avid button enthusiasts whose clothing used row upon row of buttons needed to fasten a garment, a dresser became a necessity to help fasten all the buttons.( I participated in a clothing through history show in high school and had to wear a dress from another century. There were so many buttons on the back, since there were no zippers invented when the dress was made, that I could not have fastened the back of the dress without help.)

Now buttons are so easily mass produced that they can be found anywhere. They vary in style and quality, colour, shape and design. There are even ornate snap on button covers available to change the look of a garment from one wearing to another.

Although there are now other ways to fasten clothing including zippers and Velcro, buttons have a charm of their own, a unique fashion history and style and a fan following of collectors and button enthusiasts. They have become a part of everything from children's storybooks, to pet's names, children's games and button arts and crafts. Buttons still serve a wonderfully simple function of fastening garments, bags, purses, and even dolls clothing together.

The ability to purify and transport large quantities of water for irrigation, drinking, cleaning and fire protection.

Before man progressed in use of water, settlements were limited in location to natural water supplies which often contained unseen diseases which could sicken and kill. We could not grow food, water animals, clean our clothes, or put out fires. Most of the earth's surface was uninhabitable, leaving only the land along streams and lakes available for habitation.

Tooth Paste!!

Think about it for a minute. Imagine someone you know that has the most horribly bad smelling breath. Well without toothpaste every single person walking this earth would have breath that smells even worse than that person. Without toothpaste that nasty taste you get in your mouth when you wake up the morning would linger for most of the day. Without toothpaste everybody would get cavities. Without toothpaste everybody would lose his or her teeth at a much younger age.

Modern Toileting facilities. I'm sorry, but have you ever used an outhouse? And where would we be without toilet paper or for that matter, sanitary items for women?

The Flushing Toilet. Ya don't think of it until ya don't have one

Eyeglasses! Do you know how many people are legally blind without correction? Of those people, how many are the best doctors, inventors, teaches and so forth. I would give up any invention in the world to keep my glasses.

The device you are currently using computer.
Its inventor Charles Babage died broke while we now r making millions and billions

Beer. Beer is appreciated of course by most people. But billions don't get to appreciate it at all. Even the people that do usually fail to realize the crucial influence of beer in the establishment of farming and settled communities, in other words the very founding of civilization itself.

The zipper :) I prefer keeping my "danglies" INSIDE my pants! (well, at least in public)

bombs and guns

Birth Control

Think about it, if women didn't use birth control and that means condoms, spermacides, pills, sponges, etc how many children would be there???

Birth control is a great invention. It puts women in total control of their body and when they want to have babies. It's a lot better than abortion or dumping babies in dumpsters.

Because of birth control pills women no longer have to cancel vacations or plans. They no longer have extremely long irregular periods with insanely horrible cramps, They will never had to deal with pregnancy scares.