Hooks: The 19th-Most-Important Invention

April 14, 2006 By: Marshall Cutchin

“The earliest fish hooks were probably carved out of wood more than 30,000 years ago by Cro-Magnon man. Other cultures throughout history have used animal bone, horns, shells, steel and even the thorns of hawthorn bushes.” Oh, and did we forget to mention deceased anglers’ thigh bones? Forbes editors name the fish hook one of the top 20 human inventions of all time.