For centuries there has been a debate about what has been the single most useful invention of man. The answer to this question varies a lot from person to person. Most of the answers are based on the personal and professional background and knowledge of an individual. But if there is one thing that almost everyone seems to agree upon, it is undisputedly ‘The wheel’. The wheel is a very simple invention itself, based on the concept of a round circulating object around an axle. But have you ever seen machinery which does not contain at least one part based on the same concept? There is hardly any. From the very first wheel used for cart to the ones used in a modern luggage cart and portable cart, the basic principle of wheel remains the same.

Today we see a lot of newer inventions which tend to replace the wheels as major transportation mechanism. We see highly electromagnetic trains and tracks, and we see hovercrafts and sledges. However, the simplicity of wheel is something that makes it irreplaceable by any modern day wonder.

The oldest evidence of the usage of wheel is found to be of around 3500 BC in Mesopotamia and at the same time in Central Europe. The Mesopotamian wheel was a potter’s wheel made up of clay. The same wheel traveled to the Indus Valley about half a century later. Pictorial evidences from Indus Valley civilization suggest that it was used mainly for traveling carts. Many people say that mechanical and industrial usage of wheels dates back much prior to the usage in vehicles. Read the rest of this entry »