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Whoever changed the barter system to one where you can just hand someone a/some piece(s) of paper with ink on it/them and have them bust their ass for you (transmission rebuild,cook and serve you food,etc.) or any of a nearly infinite set of goods or services is/are a genius(es).
Kudos also to:
The first human who realized cooking food makes it taste much better;
The person who realized it's a good idea to sow crops and reap them at maturity to provide sustenance;
and related to the OP's observation: the first time chips were used in place of cash for gambling purposes.