Can You Think of an Everyday Object that Changed the World?

Celebrating the world-changing beauty of ordinary things, The Search for the Obvious is a contest to find physical objects and services that have made life better for millions of people. The project invites participants to think of things like duct tape or the bicycle or compassion, take or find photos of said object or service, and upload those photos to the site.

Each week, a panel of expert judges will review the submissions and choose their favorites. Moving forward, The Search will host a series of challenges for those who are motivated to do more than simply upload a photo, though what those challenges entail is unclear.

The Search is made possible by the Acumen Fund, one of our favorite nonprofits, which aims to reduce global poverty by supporting entrepreneurship.

Can you think of an everyday object or service that changed the world?