Sam2- you are correct. being smarter doesnt mean he would automatically think up every modrn convernience. i once asked my RY about Adam, Shlomo hamelech etc., who knew and understood the briyah. he explained it two ways. one was that their focus wasnt on figuring out these things; their every movement and thought was for avodas Hashem. like the midrash says that chanoch was miyached the Shem Hashem while making shoes. they simply were focused on the ruchny.
seond was more al pi kabbalah, or so he said. basically HKBH is mashpiah chochmah in to this world in doses, for whatever reasons He sees fit. the RY went through alot of history and showed how every time klal yisroel needed help from shomayim due to the poor state of their adherence or knowledge to/of judaism, Hashem helps out and sends them someone or a few gedolei torah to bring up the level overall in world jewry. when that hashpa’a hits us some of it mimeila ends up by the goyim, and the chachma gets used by them to further science etc.