Common soap bars, they weren't really a thing until the mid 1850's and you had to make your own soap unless you were wealthy prior to that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap#19th_century Similarly, liquid soap which came to be around the same time.
Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
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Liquid soaps are a poor choice from an environmental/cost standpoint. Most of the soap goes down the drain and is wasted. Bar soap stays on your hands and last many times longer.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#112Seat-belts maybe. Not as important as the car itself obviously, but definitely simple and super impactful.
Super impactful indeed, even though it is paradoxically designed to reduce the impact.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#113Bicycles 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...
What a frustrating article, they say its missing a key component but doesn't say what.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#114Since you've allowed modern to include the Industrial Revolution, I would submit the invention that started it: the flying shuttle.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_shuttle
(How did this cause the Industrial Revolution? It made weaving so much faster, that the spinning industry had to come up with machines to supply the weaving industry.)
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#115In terms of economic importance, the assembly line was extremely simple yet had a massive impact.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#116Sewers - literally prevents plagues
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#117Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#118Software.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#119The idea of human rights is simple, fairly modern, and very important -- one of the most important today.
Re: Ask HN: What’s the most important modern simple invention?
#120The modern clothespin wasn’t invented until 1887. It was then that the coiled fulcrum came into play.