For some, the wheel is perhaps thought of as the most significant invention in human history. It’s definitely one of the first great inventions, for sure. Many people immediately picture a stone wheel being used by cavemen, but you may be surprised by the true origins of the wheel.

When was the wheel invented?

The wheel was first fashioned during the Mesopotamian era. However, some experts argue that it could have been invented at any point ranging from 2,400 BC to ____1_____ BC.

Who invented the wheel?

It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly who invented the wheel since it happened thousands of years ago. Iraq, Poland, China, and _____2______ are credited as a few of the places where the earliest wheels were dug up by _____3______.

Some think that the Sumerians, Aztecs, or Paleolithic people invented the wheel first. The neolithic and Mayan cultures both came up with the idea of a solid wooden wheel with a hole in the center for an _____4______.

How was the first wooden wheel made?

Many believe that this was achieved by cutting down a tree and then using a thin horizontal segment of the trunk. Although, not a perfect circle, this makes sense as tree trunks are naturally quite round. The Mayans called this wooden disc the “_____5_____“.

Rollers vs Wheels

It’s hard not to recognize the similarities between wheels and rollers. Rollers were simply wooden logs placed horizontally underneath heavy objects. This made it easier to _____6______ things rather than carrying them by hand.

Egyptians even used rollers to help construct the great ______7_____. The bridge between the roller and the wheel was the introduction of the axle and that’s when everything changed.

Functions

The very first wheel wasn’t actually utilized in the way you might think. It was initially used as a potter’s wheel in order to _____8_____. In manufacturing, the wheel design was used to create cogs and gears found inside machinery.

One of the first applications for the wheel was as part of a crank to raise buckets of water from _____9_____. Wheels were an important tool in agriculture and for weaving fabric too. Astonishing, some civilizations used wheels as parts for _____10_____ before they ever discovered any practical functions for them in the real world.

In the US, ______11_____ registered the first patent for an invention that utilized the wheel. This happened on the 26th of August 1791 in Princeton, New Jersey. The invention was a water wheel for the purpose of generating hydropower for mills.

Transportation

Wheels being used for transportation was a later development. This allowed us to move to different places quicker than we could on foot and we were also able to carry heavy objects from A to B.

It wasn’t until ______12_____ BC that people calculated that wheels could be combined with other parts in order to build a chariot or cart. Our ancestors used carts to transport their goods to markets and then carry any purchases they made back with them.

Pretty much every mode of transport uses the wheel such as cars, bicycles, planes, buses, motorbikes, and so on.

Evolution

The design of the wheel constantly changed over time as people learned to refine and improve it. Soon enough, wheels with _____13_____ were developed. This new design was seen as a big step forwards due to the spoked wheel being lighter and more streamlined.

Criticism

Not everyone was a huge fan of the wheel. Middle Eastern societies rejected the wheel as a mode of transport in favor of _____14_____ which had been around a long time before the invention.

Historians believe this to be the case because they were seen as a more efficient way of crossing deserts as opposed to chariots that would easily get stuck in the sand.

I’m sure it’s now obvious to you how much the wheel changed the world we live in today. We can see how its many uses make our everyday lives so much easier.