We stand on the shoulders of giants. The closer in time we get to creation, the greater the intelligence, the less genetic mutation and drift.
People were smart enough to invent things like the wheel, etc. Today we think they’re no-brainers, but at one point it took a brain to come up with those things. And they didn’t have the benefit of a few thousand years of accumulated human knowledge.
We could watch the David Letterman show and find out.
Obama also stands on the shoulders of giants, ie the last two Dem Prezzes preceding him. He's The Best of The Best, in that he combines the Morality & Integrity & Authenticity of Bill Clinton with the Effectiveness, Leadership and Matchless Accomplishments (especially in Foreign Policy) of Jimmy "The Peanut" Carter.
Or at least in the Dem's hagiography.
But from where I am, he appears to be Standing on the Shoulders of Midgets. (Apologies for defaming Little People)