It's not as simple as you'd like, but the little known Bosch-Haber process, which produces ammonia for farming, staved off mass famines and may be why many readers of HN are alive today.
Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
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Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#22General anaesthesia.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#23Bicycles are pretty amazing, although there's no way you could 'build one yourself'.
Bicycles may seem simple but took many decades to get it right.
Your comment also reminded me of this gallery of drawings from people attempting to create a bicycle from memory which is pretty funny https://twistedsifter.com/2016/04/artist-asks-people-to-draw...
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#24Standardized shipping containers massively decreased the cost of global commerce which is perhaps the most important force in the modern world.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#25Rice cookers. Totally ingenious.
Most used kitchen item by far in my house, almost used daily.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#26Liquid paper. Invented in 1956 by a typist, in her kitchen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_Paper
I'm having trouble seeing how this even makes the top 100 list of "most important".
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#27The incandescent light bulb. "In 1761, Ebenezer Kinnersley demonstrated heating a wire to incandescence." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incandescent_light_bulb
I still don't think LED (or Halogen) house bulbs are anywhere near as good as the classic incandescent bulb. Most LED bulbs give me a headache. Bad LED bulbs cause 'strobing' in my vision which is even worse.
I’ve gotten used to LEDs but I recently picked up an incandescent night light bulb- 25 watts for a dim glow. It gets really warm! 25 watts is an absurd amount of power. And people light rooms with multiple 60s! That’s bonkers
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#28Washing machine and dish washer
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#29Aluminum beverage cans are an engineering marvel:
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#30The basic internal combustion engine. Without it, we'd still be spending half our lives travelling places.
Important, def! But I don't think that this could count as "simple".