Besides electricity and electronics, I would add the diesel engine as another technology that has improved the quality of life of people on planet Earth.
Gary Hanington is a journalist for the Elko Daily Free Press, focusing on local science news and developments in the Elko, Nevada area. With his column "Professor Hanington's Speaking of Science," he explores a range of scientific topics, from geomagnetic storms and fiber-optic lasers to rare-earth minerals and bacterial applications.