The Invention of Writing (circa 3200 BC)

The invention of writing (circa 3200 BC) marked humanity's greatest cognitive revolution, emerging simultaneously in Mesopotamia and Egypt. This transformative breakthrough began with Sumerian cuneiform pressed into clay tablets and Egyptian hieroglyphs carved on temple walls—both originally developed for record-keeping. Writing enabled the codification of laws, preservation of knowledge, and transmission of ideas across generations, creating the foundation for civilization itself. As the first information technology, it facilitated complex administration, literature, and science, allowing human thought to escape the limitations of memory. This pivotal achievement forever separated history from prehistory and remains the bedrock of all technological progress that followed.