What drink, other than water, is lightheartedly considered to have saved humanity?

Answer : Beer.

Explanation : There are evidences found stating that beer predates bread by as much as 3,000 years . Mesopotamia, is considered to be one of the earliest civilizations, which was built around for satisfying the demands for beer.

The same trend was observed in the Medieval Europe. At that time, water was considered to be very dangerous to drink but the brewing process removed the harmful organisms.

By the 16th Century, the reported average annual consumption of beer in Britain was 530 pints for every man, woman and child in the country. Monks were known to be the original master brewers and it is assumed that the church became rich on the back of their skills.