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malthaussen

(18,192 posts)

23. Jerry Pournelle argued it was the rigid horse collar.

Tue Jun 3, 2025, 04:43 PM

Jun 3

Prior to the invention of the rigid horse collar, your garden-variety horse could do about four times the work of a human. But since they ate about five times the food, they were not economical. Hence, slavery flourished just about everywhere. After the rigid horse collar was invented, the beast could do ten times the work of a human, while still eating only five times as much. This is clearly much better productivity, and universal slavery began to decline at this point except in specific fields where the horse was of no use in production.

A great impact, but I don't know that I'd call it the "largest."

-- Mal

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What invention had the greatest impact on humanity and why? [View all] LogDog75 Jun 2 OP

fish hooks . AllaN01Bear Jun 2 #1

Why? LogDog75 Jun 2 #2

give a man a fhish hook and u can feed him for a day AllaN01Bear Jun 2 #13

Language Midnight Writer Jun 2 #3

Easy cheap birth control for all women. Irish_Dem Jun 2 #4

Interchangeable parts The Wizard Jun 2 #5

Cruise control Henry203 Jun 2 #6

Fire. Could cook food and not freeze to death. Could use as weapon and to clear land. sinkingfeeling Jun 2 #7

But fire isn't an invention, it's a discovery. malthaussen Jun 3 #24

Fire. Basso8vb Jun 2 #8

harnessing electricity k_buddy762 Jun 2 #9

Clothing OC375 Jun 2 #10

The steam engine justaprogressive Jun 2 #11

The Internet kacekwl Jun 2 #12

Alphabets. lastlib Jun 2 #14

Greatest impact? Earl_from_PA Jun 2 #15

Many good answers. I'll go with the plow for one of the very first. Norrrm Jun 2 #16

Transistor. Mosby Jun 2 #17

Society nuxvomica Jun 2 #18

'I can domesticate him', says: Norrrm Jun 2 #19

Soap Intractable Jun 2 #20

This message was self-deleted by its author wyn borkins Jun 2 #21

Politics. Or religion. One and the same. n/t malthaussen Jun 3 #22

Jerry Pournelle argued it was the rigid horse collar. malthaussen Jun 3 #23