1

TCP/IP protocols
Which allows global communications using the Internet. It is a relative new comer to the Top 10 and has went straight to No. 1.

2

The Internet
Which now provides a gobal infrastructure that has no respect for politics, borders or race.

3

The Telephone
Which before TCP/IP was easily in first place, but now takes third place to TCP/IP and The Internet as it's importance is now reducing as it faces extensive competition from the Internet (especially from Voice Over IP) and e-mail

4

Air travel.
Which has made the world a much smaller place, in terms of travelling time.

5

RFC822/823.
Which defines the format of e-mail messages. MIME should also get a mention here as it allows for the attachment of many types of content to an e-mail message.

6

Television.
Within a fraction of a second information from around the world can be transmitted to virtually anywhere. At one time events would take days or weeks to report, but which time lives my have been lost. These days very little can be hidden from the camera.

7

The United Nations
Sometimes it works, other times it doesn't, but at least it is there, and the world should be a safer place because of it.

8

Trans-continental cables and satellites.
Which have allowed the countries of the world in interconnect.

9

Personal Computers.
Which allow the interconnection of virtually any computer on the Internet to any other computer. Wow!

10

HTTP protocol and WWW browsers.
Which have allowed the distribution of information around the world.