The Wheel

The could be considered as a cornerstone of human creativity, which has transformed civilization since its inception. From the times of antiquity to the present era, the wheel has been a catalyst for the transformation of transport, agriculture, industry, and technology. We start this exciting journey with a look back at the wheel's intriguing past.

The Birth of the Wheel:

The first wheel was probably made in about 3500 BC, in Mesopotamia. Originally, the wheels were simple, made of one piece of wood with a hole in the middle that was attached to the axle. At first, these simple wheels were not used for transporting but rather for the making of pottery. The potter's wheel, which is a bamboo stick, for supporting the wheel in the process of shaping clay through pressing and making a hollow on it, marks it as one of the first applications of this amazing invention.

The Wheel and Transportation:

One of the wheels' first usages was for the transportation of people and goods. It radically reshaped the ways of communication and transportation for people and goods. About 3000 BCE, the Sumerians made the first wheeled carts. These wheeled cars were drawn by oxen. Further, the goods could be delivered faster and trading developed to a large extent.

Innovations in Wheel Design:

Parallel to the growth of civilizations, there was development in the technology of wheels. The spoked wheels were the first times they were seen in ancient Egypt and the Near East about 2000 BCE. These new wheels were made of smaller and tougher materials and these chariots became the emphasis of the technological advancement in land transport of the time.

The time of iron and steel during the Iron Age around 1200 BC, brought about the next significant epoch in wheel development. As if now they were stronger, better, and more reliable products and even by various applications they were able to appear.

The Wheel in Agriculture and Industry:

The wheel's use was not just limited to its transport function. In the field of agriculture, the wheel-plow or ard', since it was known at that time, significantly increased the productivity and efficiency of farming. The application of water wheels in ancient Greece and Rome that used the energy of water to turn the matrix into grains and accomplish other duties that came with the beginning of mechanical energy.

Nowadays, the wheel is taking its place in machines and technologies that have the most importance. The application of steam engines that were moved by moving wheels revolutionized the transportation and manufacturing industries. The use of the spinning wheel, which enabled the textile production to be faster and more efficient, became the driving factor for the progress in this area.

The Wheel in Modern Times:

The passing of the wheel through the earth's time was an era of innovation, improvements in technology and many use cases. The invention of the pneumatic tire by John Boyd Dunlop in 1888, to mention, enabled road transportation to be a lot smoother and more comfortable than in the past. The functionality of the vehicles we utilize today, like boats, motorcycles, cars, and airplanes, are solely reliant on the development of exceptional wheel designs and materials.

Furthermore, the wheel has been a key player in space exploration. One of the quasi-robots, with the wheels as its special features, managed to visit Mars and perform some scientific operations there that have extended our knowledge of the Red Planet.

The Wheel's Legacy:

The wheel is amongst the technologies the importance of which is not being questioned at the present moment. It has softened transportation which is the basic resource of the natives and has been the leading force of technological advancements in the field of transhumanism. Technological development on the part of the human genius and adaptability to the ever-changing world are manifest in its ongoing innovation, thereby reflecting our capability of attracting and striving to attain more on the basis of simple yet powerful concepts.

With the wheel to mature among the technological facilities in future times, it definitely will keep on going through, becoming the vital technology that makes the world move in an unthinkable way. In light of its humble origin to its position in engineering and space discoveries in the present day, the wheel is and will always be the proof of human creativity and progress.

Conclusion:

The history of the wheel stands as a record of human creative thinking and adaptability and a greatly expanded list of equipment means of transportation, from the wheel at its beginning to locomotives in the modern age. Consequently, as we proceed, the wheel will be at the forefront of technological progression pushing us to new dimensions.