The wheel …..or Fire …..which is the greatest invention ?

@Traceyjayne (11351)
United Kingdom
June 9, 2026 5:52am CST
So, The Mister and I were at the pub on Saturday night ….as we do ….and one of the regulars asked the following question ….. Which is the greatest invention ….. The wheel …..or …..Fire ….. We couldn’t come up with a definite answer …. ** …..I understand that Fire is something we ‘ happened upon ‘ and therefore you may not see it as an invention ….although man did have to work out how to make it himself …. Please just see it as it was meant to be asked ….which is the greatest …which couldn’t you live without …. Also, maybe not just think wheel …think cog , machinery etc ….. Can you even compare …… ? So dear MyLotters ….what do you think ? There is no prize , but I would be interested in your thoughts …and reasons ….
9 people like this
9 responses
Anna
@LadyDuck (502466)
• Italy
9 Jun
The fire, even we did not "invent" the fire, we discovered it.
3 people like this
DE
@DaddyEvil (174439)
• United States
9 Jun
Scientists say without discovering how to make fire, the human race would never have happened.
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2 people like this
allen0187
@allen0187 (59761)
• Philippines
9 Jun
Going with fire because it led to other important discoveries for mankind.
Jim Bauer
@porwest (112876)
• United States
9 Jun
We could survive without wheels, technically, but I am not sure we could survive without fire. So, I will go with that. But both are absolutely transformative things. Although, I would not call fire an invention. We simply figured out how to make it. The process is a simple, chemical reaction.
1 person likes this
Terminator #36
@mememine (32)
• Vietnam
9 Jun
Fire is not an 'invention'. Fire is one of the 'classical elements' and already existed before the arrival of man. Man did not invent fire any more than he invented water or earth or wind, so your question can only have one answer - the wheel.
1 person likes this
Michael Duff
@Wrexxo (1796)
•
9 Jun
I will pick the fire ...I have always wondered who discovered fire
1 person likes this
Fleur
@Fleura (35022)
• United Kingdom
9 Jun
Well without fire we wouldn't be able to make wheels except for the most basic wooden type. Even the old wooden cartwheels had metal rims shaped in fire.
Jessica
@JESSY3236 (22245)
• United States
9 Jun
I would say fire because winters can be terrible.
jaishankar
@Shivram59 (50217)
• India
9 Jun
I think both are equally important. Man didn't invent fire He just discovered that he can cook his food with fire. He discovered the quality of fire. So far as a wheel is concerned, it was invented by man. A great invention