Ask HN: Inventions from history that might've never happened?

Are there inventions from history that might've been delayed 10+ years without the work of 1-2 people?

I'm hoping to identify examples of people doing things that aren't merely redistributive

e.g. if if one ride sharing company never started, it is and was a crowded enough space that there'd still be someone who runs/owns a $10bn+ value ride sharing company.

I'm looking for examples from history where "if person X didn't do Y, then thing Z wouldn't have happened for at least ~20+ years"