All 16 Inventions, ranked by 58 players
Players rank Electricity #1: it wins 75.3% of its matchups (n = 170) and took the title in 16 of 58 brackets. The Wheel and The Internet follow. Disagree? Greatest Inventions Ranked Head-to-Head is one tap away.
Updated hourly · last refreshed November 15, 2026
Brackets finished58
Head-to-head picks870
Entrants ranked16of 16
Electricity title share27.6%n = 58
Title odds
Share of 58 finished brackets won
- Electricity27.6% (16 of 58)
- The Wheel20.7% (12 of 58)
- The Internet12.1% (7 of 58)
- Vaccines12.1% (7 of 58)
- Printing Press6.9% (4 of 58)
- Computer5.2% (3 of 58)
Greatest Inventions: the community tier list
Built from win rates across 870 picks. Tiers use the win rate steadied toward 50% for entrants with few matchups (S from 75%, A 60%, B 50%, C 40%, D 25%). Steadying pulls a small sample toward the middle, so a high raw rate can sit a tier lower and a low one a tier higher than the rate shown, which is the raw one. What does S tier mean?
Stier, win rate 75% or more
- Nobody yet
Atier, win rate 60% or more
- Electricity75.3%
- The Wheel68.5%
- The Internet66.7%
- Vaccines65.3%
Btier, win rate 50% or more
- Computer53.8%
Ctier, win rate 40% or more
- Smartphone48.6%
- Automobile45.1%
- Printing Press40.7%
- Telephone40.6%
- Penicillin40.0%
Dtier, win rate 25% or more
- GPS38.7%
- Television36.0%
- Steam Engine31.8%
- Camera31.0%
- Compass31.0%
- Airplane26.0%
Ftier, win rate 0% or more
- Nobody yet
Standings
Every entrant with its record. Ordered by win rate, steadied for small samples; a rate shows once an entrant has 30 matchups. n is the number of head-to-head matchups behind each rate.
| # | Entrant | W–L | Win rate | Against .500 | Titles | n |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electricity1879 (light bulb) | 128–42 | 75.3% | 16 | 170 | |
| 2 | The Wheel~3500 BC | 100–46 | 68.5% | 12 | 146 | |
| 3 | The Internet1983 | 102–51 | 66.7% | 7 | 153 | |
| 4 | Vaccines1796 | 96–51 | 65.3% | 7 | 147 | |
| 5 | Computer1945 | 64–55 | 53.8% | 3 | 119 | |
| 6 | Smartphone2007 (iPhone) | 53–56 | 48.6% | 2 | 109 | |
| 7 | Automobile1886 | 46–56 | 45.1% | 2 | 102 | |
| 8 | Printing Press1440 | 37–54 | 40.7% | 4 | 91 | |
| 9 | Telephone1876 | 39–57 | 40.6% | 1 | 96 | |
| 10 | Penicillin1928 | 38–57 | 40.0% | 1 | 95 | |
| 11 | GPS1978 | 36–57 | 38.7% | 1 | 93 | |
| 12 | Television1927 | 32–57 | 36.0% | 1 | 89 | |
| 13 | Steam Engine1712 | 27–58 | 31.8% | 0 | 85 | |
| 14 | Camera1816 | 26–58 | 31.0% | 0 | 84 | |
| 15 | Compass~1100 | 26–58 | 31.0% | 0 | 84 | |
| 16 | Airplane1903 | 20–57 | 26.0% | 1 | 77 |
Closest rivalries
Pairs the crowd can barely split. Estimated from each entrant's overall record until the pair has met 20 times.
- Printing PressvsTelephone50–50 · estimate from overall records
- TelephonevsPenicillin51–49 · estimate from overall records
- Printing PressvsPenicillin51–49 · estimate from overall records
Most lopsided
- ElectricityvsAirplane88–12 · estimate from overall records
- The WheelvsAirplane84–16 · estimate from overall records
- The InternetvsAirplane83–17 · estimate from overall records
Upsets and oddities
Patterns in 58 finished brackets.
- UntouchableElectricity wins 75.3%The best record in the field (n = 170 matchups).
- ClutchAirplane: 1 titlesOnly #16 on win rate, but #13 for championships.
- Still waitingSteam Engine: no titles yetWins 31.8% of its matchups (n = 85) and has never been crowned.
Upsets need real meetings: a pair shows here once it has met 10 times and the weaker record leads.
Questions people ask
What is #1 in the Greatest Inventions community ranking?
Electricity. It wins 75.3% of its head-to-head matchups (n = 170) and took the title in 16 of 58 finished brackets.
How is the ranking worked out?
Every pick in a finished bracket is a win for one entrant and a loss for the other. Entrants are ordered by win rate, steadied toward 50% by ten imaginary matchups so that a newcomer with a 3–0 record can't top the table. The rate shown is the real one, with n, the number of matchups behind it.
Why win rate and not titles?
Draws are shuffled, so a title can come from an easy path. Win rate counts every matchup an entrant played, which is a fairer read of how people feel about it. Title odds are shown too, as the share of finished brackets each entrant won.
How many people have ranked Greatest Inventions?
58 finished brackets so far, with 870 head-to-head picks between them. Only finished brackets count.
Can I rank all 16 myself?
Yes. Play the bracket at 8, 16 entrants, free and with no sign-up. You get your own ranking and a link to share, and your picks join this page.
How often does this page update?
About every hour, as new brackets are finished.
More brackets
Your turn: is the crowd right?
Pick a winner in every matchup and see where you agree with 58 players, and where you don't.