The wheel is perhaps mans greatest invention.

Simple as it seems, it is the very basis of

One would, therefore, think that the inventor of the wheel must have earned great fame and
fortune. But as a matter of fact, no one even knows who the inventor was. You can imagine how
difficult it must have been for man to move about or carry heavy loads without a wheeled
vehicle. It was only 5000 years ago (about 3000 B.C.) that some ingenious person invented this
simple device which has become the most important and the most universal tool of man today.
The wheel did not immediately put an end to the use of beasts of burden for carrying loads. In
fact, in some countries of Asia and Africa not only animals but men also are used to carry goods
and passengers even today. Even in technically advanced countries, men and beasts are still
used at places where machines with wheels cannot reach, for instance, on snow-bound
mountains and in dense forests.

Before the invention of the wheel, it must have very difficult to travel long distances. Travellers
carried their belongings on their backs and faced many hazards on the way. There were no
hotels or serais on the route where they could take shelter or rest and eat. Very few, therefore,
dared to travel. Even those who undertook a journey did not know when they would reach their
destination and whether they would return home safely.
How did the wheel come into existence? Let us go back to mans early history. Man first began
to tame animals for his use. The first animal to be tamed was the dog. It kept watch and warned
its master of approaching danger. The dog was also used in hunting.
Man soon discovered that a pack of dogs could pull a fairly heavy load. He made a frame of
sticks, placed loads on it and made dogs pull it. This vehicle was called a sledge. Sometimes
the man himself sat on the sledge and had a ride. In Northern Europe, sledges made of raw
hide, bark or hollowed tree-trunks were used long before the invention of the wheel. In Egypt
and Syria sledges were used for shifting huge stone statues even after the wheel was adopted
for chariots and wagons.

Later animals other than dogs were also tamed and trained. They were used either for riding or
for carrying goods. Thus, donkeys, mules, horses, camels, elephants, oxen and other animals
were employed. This helped traders and pilgrims to move about and mix with one another more
frequently, through they faced many hardships and dangers on the way.
As we have said, the sledge was mans first vehicle. By providing it with wheels to roll forward,
man took an important step in the history of transportation. Rolling motion is far better than
sliding motion because it reduces friction considerably.

All the time man was looking for some means of carrying himself and his goods over longer
distances with greater speed, comfort and safety. It is possible that he discovered that by putting
a few round sticks under a sledge it was easier to make it move. You must have seen that this
method is used even now when heavy loads have to be moved in offices and factories. The load
is mounted on one or two round pipes and made to slide over them. When the load moves
forward, it leaves behind the pipes, which are picked up and again placed in front under the load
and thus it kept moving.

Early man must have used round sticks cut from the branches of trees to slide loads over, long
before the wheel was invented. But this method can be used only for moving loads over short
distances. Moreover, it is a slow, time-consuming process.

Then some imaginative person must have got the idea of making a wheel. He had nothing
known to adapt or copy the wheel from. The first wheel is supposed to have been devised in the
East, probably in Mesopotamia. Excavations carried out in Mohenjodaro show that ox-carts with
two large, solid wooded wheels were in use 4000 years ago. The first wheels were made of
three planks of wood held together by wooden struts, and were nearly round in shape.

Thus the wheel came into existence. Later, the inventor of the wheel must have cut two round
discs from the thick trunk of a tree, made holes through their centres and fitted them to either
end of a strong rod forming an axle, so that they could turn round freely about it. Man must have
found that moving loads with the help of wheels was much easier than by using rollers.
It was soon discovered that the larger a wheel the smaller was the effort required to draw the
load. It was possible to get logs only of a certain thickness. If larger wheels were needed, they
had to be made by putting pieces or sections of planks together. These pieces had to be joined
together firmly and trimmed to a round shape.

The discovery of metals helped greatly in making bigger and better wheels. A strip of metal
placed around the outer circumference of the wheel formed a tyre which held the pieces firmly
together and gave a smoother running surface. Besides the metal tyre could stand wear and
tear better than wood. Thus, the usefulness and life of the wheel were greatly increased.
At first, wheels must have been used in wheel-barrows or carts which had single axles and just
one pair of wheels. Later two or more pairs of wheels were attached to a strong frame and
larger carts and wagons came into use. These carried heavier loads and were pulled by teams
of animals.

Although now horses were harnessed to wheeled vehicles, thereby increasing the speed of
travel, the wheel itself showed little progress during the next 1600 years. This period is called
the dark age of the wheel.

The spoked wheel came much later. As wheels grew larger, they became heavier too. Their
weight added to the load that had to be moved. Something had to be done to make the large
wheels lighter. With a metal band to hold the pieces together, it was no longer necessary to
have a solid wheel; some of the wood could be cut out. What was required primarily was the
central hub through which the axle-ends passed. Then there had to be the rim over which the
metal tyre was fixed. The wood in between only served to hold these two parts together. A few
strips of wood could do this just as well; the rest of the wood could be removed. These strips of
wood were called spokes, and they made the wheel much lighter.

As heavier carts and wagons came into use, another difficulty arose. Their wheels sank deep
into the earth, especially after rain, when the ground was wet. It was difficult pulling a heavy
load on such a surface. Some sort of hard surface for the wheels became necessary, and this
led to the building of roads. Important roads and streets began to be paved with bricks or stone
slabs. Later roads were made by spreading broken pieces of stone and levelling them with a
heavy roller to give a smooth hard surface. Such surfaces could take heavy traffic, and they also
put the idea of speed into peoples heads.

On poor roads man was content to jog along at the walking-pace of an animal. If he was in a
hurry, he rode a horse and could move as fast as a horse could gallop. But neither horse nor
man could hold this pace for long, as they were both soon tired. Bumping their way over rough
roads, the large wooden wheels transmitted every jolt to the passenger. Comfort was out of the
question.

Roads improved, and light carriages began to be made and used. Rich people rode in them at a
fast pace. Some attempts were made to introduce a little comfort, such as suspension of the
coach-body on leather straps, but they did not do much to cushion the bumps. This kind of
suspension was the fore-runner of metal springs which helped to reduce the shocks caused
while moving fast over rough patches.

By the middle of the seventeenth century A.D., better roads were laid in Britain and people
travelled as much as 30 miles a day in horse-drawn carriages. Relays of horses were kept or
could be hired at suitable points along the route. Tired horses were changed at these places for
another spurt of fast driving.4

Better roads made greater speed possible and demanded better wheels which revolved faster
and more smoothly. It had thus become a race between the road and the wheel. The invention
of the steam-engine and the motor car brought in invention of the steam engine and the motor-
car brought in faster modes of transport. Steam-power was first used on roads, but it was soon
realised that it could be put to better use on rails. Motor-cars moved at a speed not dreamt of in
the days of horse-drawn carriages. Roads had to be vastly improved to cope with these speeds
by paving their surfaces with cement, concrete or bitumen.

Wheels had to keep pace with this progress. Towards the last decade of the nineteenth century,
the wheels of motor vehicles were fitted with solid rubber tyres. Yet road transport remained a
slow and uncomfortable experience. Then came a major breakthrough in the history of
transportation. In 1888, John Boyd Dunlop, a British veterinary surgeon, invented the air-filled
pneumatic tyre. This tyre enabled the wheel to prove its true value as a remarkable invention.
The air in the tyre acted like a cushion and absorbed shocks. For extra comfort soft, over-sized
tyres, called balloon tyres, came into use. Wheels were made entirely of metal and thin spokes
were used to make them as light as possible.

The principle on which the first Dunlop tyre was based was the same as the one which makes
our motor-cars or bicycle run so smoothly at the high speeds of today. Wheels of bicycles or
motor-cars actually run on compressed air. The inner tube of the wheel is made of soft, thin
rubber. The outer tube that fits over the inner tube is thick and tough to protect the inner tube
from injury. It is the inner tube, filled with air, which has been the cause of the breakthrough to
greater speeds and comfort.

At high speeds, the rubbing of the axle-ends against the surface of the hubs generated heat and
resulted in a great deal of wear. To avoid this, special types of bearings called ball-bearings
were fitted. As the wheels moved, these balls rolled and reduced much of the wear and tear.
Wheels are also used in trams and trains, which are so heavy that ordinary roads break up
under their weight. Their wheels, therefore, move on special tracks made of steel rails.
John Dunlops invention has spread to all parts of the world. These wonderful tyres are used on
cycles, motor-cars and aeroplanes. They are used on lorries which carry heavy loads of several
tons and on aeroplanes which race along the ground at tremendous speeds as they take-off and
land.

One of the greatest and certainly the most basic invention of all time in the means of transport
has been the wheel. No other single invention has so greatly helped man conquer distance.
This invention set the pattern of land transport for 50 centuries. Places which in olden days
seemed far away now appear to be just round the corner. Journeys which took months and
even years at one time now take only days. From the days of animal-drawn vehicles before
3000 B.C. it was a slow journey to steam-power in the eighteenth century. Mankind owes a lot to
the unknown genius who invented the wheel.

THE WHEEL

"What came first, the potters wheel or the wheel? Is there any evidence of the potter's wheel or
wheel being developed in the Americas?

One of the greatest inventions in history has been the wheel, whether used for vehicles or to
make pottery. The wheel has been around for as long as any of us alive today can remember.
Without it, many simple tasks would be much more difficult to perform. It is an important part of
everyday life and is seen everywhere. But only a few people truly know where the wheel was
developed.

Through research, scientists have found that there is no evidence of the wheel throughout the
Paleolithic period or the early Neolithic period. Researchers have found evidence of wheels
being used in the Old World during a period called the New Stone Age and the Bronze Age. It is
known that Egyptians began centering clay upon a potter's wheel in order to create pottery
before 4000 B. C. It is believed that the potter's wheel preceded the wheel used by the
Sumerians for transportation. There is no evidence of the wheel or potter's wheel being
developed in either of the Americas so it is assumed that it was brought over from the Old
World. However, it is believed that the Mayans were using some primitive version of a wheel
before the Spaniards conquered the area. The actual origin of their wheel is unknown.

It is hard to believe that something as simple as a wheel can have so much history. The fact that
it has been around for so long brings up questions in the minds of researchers as to what is
actually accurate. Not many people stop to wonder about where the wheel actually came from, it
is simply taken for granted that it is here for our convenience. It has become a part of everyday
life. There are different types of wheels all around, some that people do not even notice. Wheels
have evolved greatly and made such an impact on today's world.
Why Is the Invention of the Wheel So Important?
The invention of the wheel is probably the most important invention of all time. Without the
wheel, the world simply wouldn't exist as we know it. The invention of the wheel was at the root
of the Industrial Revolution, although it would take a long time to get there.

It is a mystery as to who invented the very first wheel. Credit is given to the ancient
Mesopotamian culture of Sumer in about 3500 B.C. This is where the oldest known wheel has
ever been found. It is believed to have been invented much earlier, however.

The very first wheels were used for potter's wheels. A potter's wheel seems like an unimportant
invention. However, the creation of pottery was very important in the advancement of mankind.
Pottery vessels allowed humans to transport food and especially water. This made them not as
dependent on living right next to a water source.

The Sumerians improved upon the wheel by using it as transportation on their chariots. Later,
ancient Egyptians also used wheeled chariots. The spoked wheel was a huge advancement in
the development of the wheel. It is still used today.

Improvements upon the wheel continued to be made. Wheels started being used as gears
during the Middle Ages. This allowed for the invention of mechanical devices such as clocks,
water wheels, cogwheels, and astrolabes for sailors to navigate.

The wheel is at least part of the concept in most modern inventions. There are many modern
inventions that came into fruition with help from the ingenious wheel. Without the wheel, there
would be no automobiles, no airplanes, no space launches, and no turbine engines.

The invention of the wheel helped bring about the Industrial Revolution. Because of the wheel's
invention, steam engines, railroads, and factories were able to be built. If the inventor of the
wheel were alive today, he or she would receive a Nobel Prize.

The discovery of round object, called the wheel, appears to be the most significant
impact in our daily life.

During its early stages it must have revolutionized the life-style of mankind. Before the discovery
of wheel, the main source of movement must have been the two legs and the animals. The
horse, the ass and the cattle were his principal sources of communication.

Naturally human mobility was, perforce, confined to a limited area and life was leisurely. But with
the advent of the wheel, a new spirit of exploration and joy must have inspired mankind.

The wheels thus brought mobility to our daily life. All the modes of our daily transportation such
as car, bicycle, scooter, train and even airplane needs wheel. The airplane cannot take off
without the wheel. The wheel functions as a turbine in engines and machines to lend them
mechanical advantage.

Even in daily life this wheel serves us loyally as a friend. Village women feel much at ease as
they draw water from the wells with the advantage of the pulley. Again, whether as a domestic
apparatus or in the flour mills, it is the wheel that comes to our aid.

Modern age is one of science. Even the medical science acknowledges of the importance
wheel. The wheel-chair has brought a new life to the physically disabled due to deformed legs.

We are all familiar with the happy sight of disabled boys and girls that go to schools and
colleges on their specifically designed vehicles. They are kinds of rickshaws in which the design
is reversed. Of the two hands of the disabled man, one functions as the paddle, while the other
controls the lever for direction. The wheel-chairs are lifted on board the aircraft and distance
proves no bar.

Wheel is a wonderful invention and added the wings of mobility to our daily life.