Covert game changers
Flint scrapers (around 500,000 years ago)
One of the oldest unsung heroes of technological history ever is a simple universal tool consisting of sharp-edged flintstone that’s suitable not only for cutting but also for working on animal skin, wood, and bones. An unsung hero from the stone age.
Consequence: Without the scraper, there’d be no clothing, no hunting gear, no protection against the cold in mobile dwellings – and hence no human settlements in larger parts of our planet.
Birch tar (around 100,000 years ago)
The super-glue of the stone age is made by heating birch bark in the absence of air – a rather challenging technical process. Birch tar connects stone, wood, and fibers to create functional tools – in other words a (very) early engineering material.
Consequence: Using sturdy tools, animals can be hunted more systematically, hides be worked on more effectively, and materials be separated more efficiently. That enhances success rates in hunting, increases the availability of food, and ultimately yields more time for social development.
Salt for preservation (around 8,000 BC)
In the absence of refrigeration using electric power, salt – for millennia – used to be the only method for preserving meat, fish, cheese, and even vegetables and hence survival in times of scarcity.
Consequence: Agriculture and storage start making sense – paving the way for sedentism. Without salt, long-distance travel wouldn’t be possible either: Fish and meat are cured to be preserved for weeks on end. Salt is one of the catalysts for exploratory adventures, international trade, and thus global networking.
Threads & screws (3rd century BC)
A thread or screw is more than just a spiral – it’s the common thread running through the history of technology. Inconspicuous but irreplaceable. A hidden champion holding everything in place – quite literally.
Consequence: Without screws, there’d be no machines, no furniture, no modern technology. An ingenious detail with an immense effect.
Pulley (3rd century BC)
A system consisting of fixed and mobile wheels for hoisting heavy loads with less exertion of force – by means of mechanically deflected force, enabling human beings to move loads of ten or twenty times their body weight.
Consequence: Heavy objects become movable. Stones, wood, and entire assembly components can be hauled, enabling the construction of monumental buildings such as pyramids, cathedrals, fortresses, and port facilities. For more efficiency, faster manufacturing, safer construction sites.
Astrolabe (8th century)
At first glance, it’s an artfully engraved disk – but an astrolabe is really the most important scientific multi-purpose tool: an instrument for measuring stars and planets, determining times of prayer and local latitude, and measuring buildings and landscapes.
Consequence: An astrolabe is an analogue computer for astronomy, navigation, and geometry: the precursor for the telescope, sextant, clock, and more is a co-driver of revolutionizing science by increasingly connecting heaven and earth, faith, and science.
Breastplate for horses (around 9th–10th century)
Truly a game changer for farming and the early transportation business by means of coaches & company. Before its invention, the tack used to apply pressure to the horse’s neck, impairing the animal’s breathing. The breastplate, aka breast girth, that shifts tractive force to the breast and shoulders enables horses to pull three times more weight.
Consequence: More efficient farming, greater yield, and population growth. Without breastplates, there’d be no agricultural upswing.
Magnetic compass (11th century)
Before the invention of the magnetic compass, sailors used to depend on the star-studded sky – which was extremely difficult in the case of overcast conditions or unknown waters.
Consequence: The magnetic compass was the key lever for global networking, world trade, and colonization. The compass enables the creation of precision nautical charts and route plans. Sailors can calculate and capture their positions.
Spectacles (13th century)
The first wearable spectacles were created from cut glass in Italy. Initially, they were usable only for presbyopia (reading glasses). Starting in the late Middle Ages, spectacles became a mass product – the first real “wearable” in human history, if you will.
Consequence: Spectacles enable scholars to work longer, make books more accessible, and pave the way for entire branches of science. They extend the production of human knowledge by decades. Later, the lens technology of spectacles would lead directly to the microscope, the telescope, and the camera.
Cast-iron radiator (early 19th century)
The cast-iron radiator is regarded as an underrated prosperity factor, paving the way for modern heating systems, interior design, and urban development. Before its invention, heating of multi-story buildings and factories often used to be difficult and inefficient. Conventional fireplaces and log-burning stoves would heat rooms unevenly and were frequently hazardous.
Consequence: Cast-iron radiators enable even, controllable heating of entire rooms, resulting in greater comfort, safety, health, and, ultimately, more productivity.
Precision ball bearing (19th century)
Precision rolling elements in ball bearings are the unsung heroes of the industrial revolution. Yesterday as well as today, they’ve been decisive factors for efficiency and longevity of machines and equipment. In Schweinfurt, in the 1870s, Friedrich Fischer (FAG) optimized and standardized the production of ball bearings and rolling elements with his patented ball mill. A means of transportation immediately benefiting from that innovation was the bicycle, soon to be followed by the automobile. Fischer’s FAG subsequently became part of the Schaeffler Group. Like Fischer, the company’s founder, Georg Schaeffler, wasn’t happy with the bearings available on the market. With his invention of the cage-guided needle bearing in 1950, he revolutionized bearing technology – today, Schaeffler is one of the global leaders in the field of motion technology companies.
Consequence: Smooth-running rolling bearings really got the ball in the automotive industry rolling. Without them, it was impossible to engineer fast, efficient cars with low energy consumption and high output. Without them, there’d be no efficient machines, no electric mobility, and no wind turbines – as a matter of fact, no modern world like the one we know today.
Corrugated cardboard (19th century)
Before the introduction of corrugated cardboard products for shipping often used to be packed in heavy wooden or metal packaging or simply in impractical containers. Corrugated cardboard introduced ease, flexibility, and stability into the world of packaging.
Consequence: Revolutionized logistics and warehousing. Sturdy, light-weight, and cheap – and the basis of today’s online retail business. Without corrugated cardboard, e-commerce, global supply chains, and efficient distribution of goods are unthinkable.
Automatic railcar coupler (early 20th century)
The automatic railcar coupler developed by Karl Scharfenberg in Germany is a typical hidden champion. It revolutionized rail technology, is used around the world in ICE, TGV, and Shinkansen trains, but remains invisible to everyday observers.
Consequence: Without automatic railcar couplers, modern passenger transportation would hardly be conceivable – they’re truly a backbone of mobility that’s never in the limelight. The coupler makes for more safety, faster workflow benefiting modern train concepts, and strengthening of urban mobility due to a densification of clock-face schedules.
Micro-liter pipette (1961)
The micro-liter pipette from Hamburg’s Eppendorf SE is an absolute classic among hidden champions. It makes it possible to precisely dose smallest quantities of liquids. The pipette per se and the subsequent developments of centrifuges, mixers, thermostats, and consumables have resulted in the Eppendorf micro-liter systems having revolutionized hundreds of thousands of laboratories worldwide.
Consequence: Dosing of liquids in the micro-liter range became measurable, repeatable, and reliable. The Eppendorf micro-liter system is not only a product but marks a technological breakthrough for research and diagnostics.
Walkman (1979)
Although it achieved worldwide fame, the Sony Walkman can be considered a hidden gem in a figurative sense because its influence on technological development and society is underestimated. The Walkman shaped a new one-the-go lifestyle that was perfected by the smartphone three decades later.
Consequence: The Walkman ushered in a new era in which technology became everywhere. The developers also showed that technology could be stylish, compact and user-oriented - a role model for Apple & co.
