What invention, in the last 100 years, gave us the most control of our environment?

In the last 100 years: electricity and the incandescent bulb.

BQ: agricultural techniques. Turned early man from a nomadic hunter/gatherer to living in one place and harvesting what they planted.

I didn't really have an answer for this one, at least not one that hasn't been better stated already.

I did just want to say that I firmly agree with: Hope is certainty (Ross), which I believe may be a first since I've been here, but his answer is solid. Our food supply is in great jeopardy, especially with the business practises of the 11 or so major seed corporations on the planet. Something WE ALL SHOULD CARE ABOUT, regardless of religious persuasion, colour, creed, etc...we all gotta eat.

A bit more than 100 years would be electricity and oil. Both discovered and developed by White Christians. And Jews. Also, guns and ammo, welding, lathes, milling machines, sewing machines, glass, the auto, airplane, nuclear energy,

For the ancients, fire.

The invention of cars and airplanes.

Both of these catapulted us in to a much smaller world and allow us to change our environment in record times.

If it's too cold, go somewhere warm in a few hours, before these inventions it took weeks of travel to move from one weather zone to the next.

They also opened up the exchange of culture, goods and produce like never before. We can now have watermelon in the middle of winter in northern latitudes and ice in the desert.

Incredible forward progress was made possible by the invention of transportation for all of us.

{{Unc}}

Hmm, before Monsanto came something even more important.

Humble fertiliser.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Bosch

If it wasn't for this guy, the world's population could not have grown the way it has. It's estimated 1/3 of the world eats food produced by his method.

...

The personnel computer,because it gave each individual the ability to report their troubled findings in a way that no one could stop them and the ancient ansestors kept that control by only eating what they needed.-Jesus Christ

For all of your dreams and wishes to come true, Pray the Holy Rosary for world peace and for all of Gods children to pray the Holy Rosary, And explore and discover the many gifts of APPARITIONS and the PIETA PRAYER BOOK, that God has sent for your spiritual guidance, enjoyment and enrichment and great will be your rewards in heaven. Happy New Years , and here is a loving hug for all of Gods children.

The Holy Family

HVAC (heating, ventilating and air conditioning).

Ancient Ancestors? I guess it depends on how ancient. How about shelter?

A/C and electricity and the phone and penicillin have all worked wonders.

Putting women in pants has helped a buttload, too.

Oh, yeah, and the car.

1st q: electricity and the assembly line

2nd q: physical strength (which a person doesn't need to survive nowadays), and being able to outsmart other species.

Electricity. For ancestors it was probably wood.