The Invention that Changed the World: The Wheel

Tanu Rao. 03/31/2021


Imagine someone gets a flat wheel while driving a car; they are probably annoyed with the tire aren’t they? But, do they ever take the time to admire the true artistry of the wheel? Probably not, but think about where that person would be without the wheel. The wheel is an important advancement that helped people in their time of need. Although the first use of the wheel was for the potter’s wheel that allowed people to create vases, the wheel has helped transport people and their goods and led to many more inventions that changed the world exponentially.

Transporting people
The wheel was first used to transport people on chariots. It helped to make sure no warrior needed to go to battle on foot. They could fight wars without hesitation or worries of getting tired of walking. The wheel may seem like a simple contraption, but there is more than what meets the eye. In order to move heavy vehicles such as the chariot, the wheel has to be perfectly aligned with the axis so that the axis can fit through the wheel itself. It also has to be equal in size because wheels that are bigger than the rest won’t work as well as the wheels that are the same size. The wheel has helped people win wars, and eventually, it has also allowed people to easily travel to places.

More contraptions and trading
The wheel was also used to trade objects with other people.When people used carts, it required less people and less time. So it became more efficient. If people had something that was too heavy for them to carry and the market was 1 mile downhill, they would become really tired. To eliminate that possibility, people started using the wheel to trade with other people. Someone would put what they were trading on carts and go to the market to trade. They used animals like horses, bulls, or ox to pull the carts. Now that is handy!

Conclusion
To sum it up, the wheel is a much more important invention than what people believed it to be. The wheel helped transport people and allowed people to trade their goods. This invention led to many more advancements such as the spinning wheel, the water wheel, and modern transportation that changed the world drastically.

Sources
Om Books Editorial Team. 365 Inventions That Changed The World. 365th ed., Om Kidz, 2019.