If you could take one thing back in time to the middle ages, what would it be?

[AndrésC64]

If you could take ONE THING what would it be? And when I say one thing I mean one thing. If you take your phone, it will be useless once the battery dies. So choose wisely.

[Tarifa]

A modern-day bicycle. It would cause quite a stir and be easy to reproduce, although they would probably have to use steel or a combination of metal. No fancy things like battery-powered lights or carbonfibre, just a good vehicle to move around with and that uses your legs power. It would replace the horse as a means of travelling greater distances.

Incidentally, the German Inventor Karl von Drais is credited with developing the first bicycle. His machine, known as the "swiftwalker," hit the road in 1817. It's a fancy name, great description and marketing.

[Staximus]

You're not the sharpest tool in the shed. A bicycle would have never replaced the horse in the Middle ages They didn't have smooth paved roads everywhere back then. A bicycle would be almost useless. You can barely ride it in tall grass, can't ride it in mud or snow, or down rocky riverbeds or rocky trails. Plus they couldn't make rubber tires back then.

[Tarifa]

@Staximus The earliest known paved roads date back to ancient Mesopotamia, around 4000 BC, with stone-paved streets found in cities like Ur and Babylon. The Romans also developed sophisticated techniques for building stone roads. In addition to Mesopotamia and Rome, ancient Egypt also had paved roads, with the oldest known paved road being the Road to Giza, dating back to around 2600 BC. You'll say that paved roads are not ideal. I'm sure they would soon have figured out how to make them a bit more comfortable.

The Sweet Track, a timber trackway in England, is one of the oldest engineered roads, dating back to 3807 or 3806 BC.

As for rubber, natural rubber is derived from the latex sap of rubber trees. These have been around longer than humans walk the earth.

Taking the bicycle to the middle ages may require knowledge of some basic manufacturing skills. Nothing that a normal human being can't work out.

[Staximus]

Those were cobblestone roads. Making tires and inner tubes requires molding machines and pressurized vessels for vulcanization of the rubber

[Tarifa]

@Staximus I know that. I never claimed it would be comfortable or even practical. Incidentally, if you watch European bicycle races, you'll see that some tracks include cobblestone roads. These are used with very skinny rubber tires.

Granted, a flattened out dirt track would be much better.

[Staximus]

You've obviously not traveled over any kind of distance without a paved road or a dirt road. Pave roads and dirt roads were not very common in the Middle ages unless you're in a city. Most people lived in villages. You just walked on a little trail if you even had that. So the bicycle replacing the horse in the Middle ages would have been retarded

[Staximus]

Use your brain dude

[Tarifa]

@Staximus You can have the last word. You're obviously a man of great wisdom.

[goaded]

As much gold as I could carry (unless I'm allowed a wheelbarrow, too), I suppose. You could have all the modern knowledge in the world, but nobody would take a penniless person seriously.

[NathanDavis]

tacos al pastor...

I really think the world would have ended up much better if everyone else just how good tacos are and, chill... lol

[Staximus]

Complete physician's desk reference that tells you basically how to do every modern medical procedure

[dudeinohio]

Pistol with lots of ammo.

[XXblack88]

Money

[Anonymous]

Smart phone

[AndrésC64]

But it would be useless once the battery dies. No electricity.

[Opinion Owner]

Can't we heat the battery by rubbing it somewhere?