25 Most Significant Inventions In Human History

At its most basic principle, the idea that a piece of paper with a sovereign’s face on it holding some kind of intrinsic value might’ve been ridiculous at first. But money has been an integral creation that did away with the primitive barter system that had dominated human interaction beforehand. Monetary currency simplified everything, especially as cities grew and goods and services became more diverse.

Having a single standard with which to measure an object’s value made it easier to end disputes that would arise when two people were arguing over the value of their respective goods (ex. A hunter trying to exchange three rabbits for a bushel of apples, and the apple farmer wanting five instead). Furthermore, it eventually led to the end of the barter system and the founding of marketplaces and trade systems.

But what made currency such a major invention for humanity was its ability to bring people together. With time, people eventually learned to trust one another to make good on payments and to uphold the value of what they were exchanging.

This was essential in making cities grow and civilizations expand: by giving people a (monetary) incentive to come to a common place to buy and sell goods and services, people could specialize in certain trades, forever ending the need for one person to be skilled in numerous trades.