Britons vote for the iPhone as most important invention ahead of flushing loo and space travel
A study of 4,000 consumers also placed the Apple smart phone - which has sold 42 million units since its launch in 2007 - ahead of the car, camera and flushing toilet.
The wheel was voted as the most important invention in history, with the aeroplane in second place, the lightbulb third, the worldwide web fourth and computers fifth.
Other inventions to make the top ten included Graham Bell's telephone in sixth place, followed by Sir Alexander Flemming's discovery of Penicillin.
The iPhone came eighth, while Thomas Crapper's flushing toilet was ninth. The internal combustion engine came tenth.
Central heating (13th), painkillers (15th) and the steam engine (16th) also made the grade, while spectacles finished off the top 20.
Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Mobile, which carried out the nationwide research among 18-65 year-olds, said: "All of the inventions included in this list have changed the world forever.
"Whether it be something as small as a paper clip, to something which changed the face of the universe like the combustion engine, these amazing feats have all been recognized as truly great.
"Some - like the washing machine and wheel - have made our lives easier, while wireless technology and the internet have changed the face of communication.
"Others like the remote control, hair-dryer and hoover have all been created for convenience."
A catalogue of creations which make our lives easier also made the list, such as the Hoover (23), remote control (43), power steering (50) and spell-check (86).
Kitchen appliances featured heavily in the top 100 including the Fridge (14), Freezer (17), Microwave (26) and Kettle (40).
A string of technological advancements such as Google, SAT NAV, Wi-Fi and Sky+ also appeared.
Appearance was also deemed important - fashion-conscious Brits voted for hair-straighteners (34), make up (66), push-up bra (77) and mascara (80).
Among the unusual items were the food blender, curtains, the baby's dummy and post-it notes.
Lance Batchelor added: "It's amazing to see how much the iPhone is valued, sitting alongside inventions such as Penicillin in people's perceptions and being declared a more important invention than miracle gadgets of their own time, such as the compass.
"No wonder the iPhone has been flying off the shelves at Tesco, as it allows us to have everything we need at our finger tips."
100 GREATEST INVENTIONS
1. Wheel 2. Aeroplane 3. Light bulb 4. Internet 5. PCs 6. Telephone 7. Penicillin 8. iPhone 9. Flushing toilet 10. Combustion engine 11. Contraceptive pill 12. Washing machine 13. Central heating 14. Fridge 15. Pain killers 16. Steam engine 17. Freezer 18. Camera 19. Cars 20. Spectacles 21. Mobile phones 22. Toilet paper 23. Hoover 24. Trains 25. Google 26. Microwave 27. Email 28. The pen 29. Hot water 30. Shoe 31. Compass 32. Ibuprofen 33. Toothbrush 34. Hair straighteners 35. Laptops 36. Knife and fork 37. Scissors 38. Paper 39. Space travel 40. Kettle 41. Calculator 42. Bed 43. Remote control 44. Roof 45. Air conditioning 46. SAT NAV 47. Wi-Fi 48. Cats-eyes 49. Matches 50. Power steering 51. Tumble dryer 52. Bicycle 53. Sky+ 54. Tea bags 55. Umbrella 56. iPod 57. Taps 58. Crash helmet 59. Wristwatch 60. eBay 61. DVD player 62. Nappies 63. Ladder 64. Sun tan lotion 65. Lawnmower 66. Make-up 67. Chairs 68. Sunglasses 69. The game of football 70. Sliced bread 71. Sofa 72. Razor blades 73. Screwdriver 74. Motorways 75. Head/ear phones 76. Towels 77. Push-up bra 78. Binoculars 79. WD40 80. Mascara 81. Hair dryer 82. Facebook 83. Escalator 84. Hair dye 85. Wellington boots 86. Spell check 87. Calendars 88. Cheese grater 89. Buses 90. Post-it notes 91. Gloves 92. Satellite discs 93. Pedestrian crossing 94. Baby's dummy 95. Curtains 96. Bottle opener 97. Food blender 98. Dustpan and brush 99. Desks 100. Clothes peg
when can we expect the Over the air update reach Europe? 10.00 GMT?