Of course, the title is a bit hyperbolic.  After all, one can argue the wheel was the greatest invention.  Or fire (is fire an “invention”?).  So, maybe let’s narrow it down to the greatest invention of the past 150 years, okay?

Take a moment and think of what you might consider the greatest invention of the past several generations might be?

Here’s my take:  The battery.

The Common Battery

That’s right, the means by which electric power can be stored, transported and disbursed.  Where would we be today without the batteries powering our cell phones, watches, laptop computers, iPads and the like?  Think about it.

I bought a battery-powered electric vehicle (BEV) a year ago because the house I purchased had a charging station.  My internal combustion engine (ICE) car sits in the garage most of the time, because the majority of my trips are short (< ten miles). My EV is one large battery on which a car has been attached.

When the lights go out, what’s the first thing we reach for?  A battery-operated flashlight (or torch, for the British English speakers).  I run with iPods, powered by batteries.  In fact, I have battery backup power systems for computers, smoke detectors, security devices, and more.

Can one argue there isn’t a more important invention in the modern age? For the record, the invention of the modern day battery is usually credited to Alessandro Volta (from where we get the term “volt”) in 1800.  A great, brief history of the battery may be found here.