History polls: The top 10 most prosperous and darkest times in history, plus the 10 greatest inventions of all time!

A survey reveals that 57% of Brits hate the modern life and would rather live in another decade, preferably during the 60’s.

17:30 17 July 2014

A recent study, which was commissioned to mark the launch of show Inquisition on the TV channel Yesterday, revealed that more than half of Brits hate the trappings of modern life and said that they would rather live in any other era than the current one.

One in five voted for the 1960’s which the respondents considered the most prosperous in the whole of human history. Meanwhile, they voted the Black Death as the darkest period of history as it killed up to an estimated 200 million people during the 14th century.

When it comes to top inventions, respondent voted electricity followed by Alexander Fleming’s penicillin with 44per cent of the votes. These were ahead of the internet, computers, and the printing press.

Richard Felix said: ‘It is no surprise the Black Death came out on top in this study; the symptoms included painful blisters, acute fever, vomiting of blood and eventually death.

‘Similarly The Inquisition was a very bloody chapter of European history.’
Adrian Wills, General Manager of Yesterday added: ‘The report shows us the darkest and most gruesome periods of human history should not be forgotten.’


Top 10 Darkest Periods in History

1. Black Death (14th Century) - 50.8 per cent
2. The Inquisitions (12th Century - 18th Century) - 45.4 per cent
3. World War II (1939 - 1945) - 42 per cent
4. World War 1 (1914 - 1918) - 41.6 per cent
5.  Dark Ages (500 - 1000 AD) - 38.9 per cent
6. The Roman Empire (27 BC - 476 AD) - 32.6 per cent
7. The Witch Craze (15th Century – 18th Century) - 31.8 per cent
8. Tudor England (1485 - 1603) - 19.7 per cent
9. French Revolution (1789) - 18.8 per cent
10. Cromwell’s conquest of Ireland (1649) - 18.2 per cent


Top 10 Prosperous Times in History

1. The Romans (27 BC - 476 AD) - 36 per cent
2. The Industrial Revolution (1760 -1840) - 32.2 per cent
3. The Greeks (384 BC) - 29.4 per cent
4. The 1960s - 27.1 per cent
5. Current day - 26.8 per cent
6. 19th Century - 22.5 per cent
7. The Renaissance (16th Century) - 21.3 per cent
8. Since the development of agriculture 10,000 years ago - 17.4 per cent
9. The 1920s - 11.1 per cent
10.  World War II (1939 – 1945) - 5.4 per cent


Top 10 Inventions of All Time

1. Electricity - 60.0 per cent
2. Penicillin - 44.1 per cent
3. The wheel - 39.1 per cent
4. Internet - 37.4 per cent
5. Computer - 35.3 per cent
6. Printing press - 34.7 per cent
7. Sanitation systems - 34.4 per cent
8. The car - 32.2 per cent
9. Steam engine - 30.2 per cent
10. Airplane - 29 per cent