Check out Mankind's 20 Greatest Inventions — Part 1 for a look at the bottom half of the list.

Mankind’s greatest inventions have one thing in common – their impact has been immense.

No matter their length of existence, they’ve affected billions of people. The Internet, for example, has arguably existed for only about 30 years. Yet 43% of the world’s population is said to have used it. The wheel, on the other hand, was invented some six thousand years ago. Yet everyone who has ridden a wagon, bicycle, train, automobile, or airplane has been affected by it.

Here, we offer a look at mankind’s top ten inventions, as selected by Design News editors. Not every reader will agree with the choices, but one thing is sure: All of us have felt their impact.

Click the image below to start the slideshow

How'd we do? Let us know your pick for mankind's greatest invention in the comments!

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Senior technical editor Chuck Murray has been writing about technology for 31 years. He joined Design News in 1987, and has covered electronics, automation, fluid power, and autos.