Changes in Transportation over Time: Through the Ages Project Part 3 of 10

By Jacob Lindbert

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Introduction

Throughout time, transportation has changed as technology has developed alongside it. As technology advanced, so too did transportation, revolutionizing how individuals are able to move around the globe. From the earliest forms of human movement to the advanced technologies of the 21st century, transportation has evolved to meet the changing needs of people and industries. These developments have facilitated new modes of trade, communication, and cultural exchange. This paper will dive into the major changes that have taken place with regard to transportation and how they have impacted society.

Key Timeline of transportation

4000 BC - Horses and camels are domesticated and used for transport.

3500 BC - Fixed wheels on carts are invented.

3500 BC - River boats are invented.

2000 BC - First chariots are built.

312 BC - Paved roads are built by the Romans.

1783 - First hot air balloon launched.

1801 - The first Steam road locomotive is run.

1814 - The first steam-powered railway train is built by George Stephenson.

1816 - The earliest bicycle is made.

1904 - The Wright Brothers fly the first motor-driven airplane.

1908 - First Ford Cars manufactured.

1957 - First man-made satellite, Sputnik 1, launched into orbit.

1981 - First flight of the space shuttle lifts off, 20 years after the first manned space flight.

All dates and information came from (twinkl, 2021).

The wheel

While no single person or civilization is credited with the development of the wheel, it is believed that its creation dates as far back as the ancient Sumerians. The earliest wheels were made by inserting rotating axles into smooth, solid wooden discs (Tolentino, 2023). Its development marked a turning point in history, with new travel, farming, and military uses. This made way for horse and carriage travel, moving away from walking being the sole form of travel to new methods of transporting goods throughout towns and countries.

With the development of the wheel, new roads were needed to foster improved travel conditions. Transport of people and goods in those times was done with carts that were pulled by animals. Engineers quickly noticed that animals would spend much less energy if the cart traveled on a predetermined path, without the possibility for steering over uneven terrain (Train History, 2025). These paved roads allowed for more efficient travel, communication, and trade, contributing to urbanization, improved military maneuvers, and enhanced transport efficiency (twinkl, 2021). The development of the wheel led to new infrastructure needs and ultimately helped civilizations grow. With the improved means of trade, cities had access to materials and goods that allowed them to build improved houses, farms, and other infrastructure, improving their livelihoods.

Hot air balloon

In 1783, the first hot air balloon was developed in France. Early balloons were made of paper and cloth and fueled by fire heated inside, causing the balloon to swell and rise off the ground. The balloon would be attached to a basket woven together, allowing a passenger to get in and direct the movement of the balloon. While hot air balloons had practical uses, they were mostly symbols of innovation, freedom, and culture, leading expeditions and displaying the progress of their countries. Hot air balloons have influenced imagination around the world, inspiring works of art, literature, and music (history tools, 2024). This is observed in many movies seen today, where hot air balloons are shown with beautiful, vibrant colors. While hot air balloons are not the most popular form of travel or the most convenient, they remain a popular tourist attraction in many parts of the world.

Trains and Steamboats

The Industrial Revolution transformed the entire makeup of the American economy. This shift from rural to urban living generated the shift from producing goods for self-use to producing goods for sale on the market. The industrial revolution led to the transportation revolution, which involved the creation of bridges, canals, roads, steamboats, and railroads (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2024). The development of the train system and steamboats revolutionized how the United States was able to transport goods.

The creation of the steamboat transformed how goods and services could be shared throughout the country. With many crops and goods being generated in specific geographic regions of the country, without proper transportation, these goods were isolated to those particular people. For example, farmers living in the West often had no way to transport their goods to other areas due to land barriers, like mountains, and a lack of transportation options (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2024). This transformed the economy of the country, creating more jobs in running, maintaining, and producing these steamboats and other transportation systems. Steamboats used massive amounts of wood for fuel, and people living along rivers had opportunities to develop new businesses of wood processing (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2024). This led to the creation of refueling stops, generating even more jobs for individuals to get involved in. In addition to the increase in jobs and the increased production of goods, the development of steamboats led to improved cultural diffusion. This diffusion was largely spread by crewmates and passengers of the ships. As crewmates reached new ports, they would go out and meet different people, spreading ideas, values, and culture through travel. News and ideas traveled through the various steamboat ports and led to an increase in communication among the different regions of the United States (Oklahoma Historical Society, 2024). Passengers were able to go to new areas of the country, meeting people from different countries and experiencing different geographies. As a whole, the creation of the steamboat helped bridge the East and West.

Trains were around before the Industrial Revolution, with early locomotives being developed in the early 1800s. The first trains could pull  25 tons and 70 people, showing others that they had a use in society and did have the necessary power to transport goods and people across long distances. The commercialization of trains came in the 1820s, with steam locomotives proving to be the most reliable and powerful. As train technology rapidly grew over the first few decades, urban engineers in London started formulating the first plans for inter-city railway tracks and underground tunnels. This marked the beginning of the new era of urban transit systems, with underground Metros now appearing across the entire world (Train History, 2025). This helped generate new growth across cities and towns throughout the U.S., promoting improved cooperation, providing new opportunities, and fostering new designs and developments. As of today, trains remain one of the most important ways of getting people around, with large cities relying on them to transport millions of people every day.

Airplanes and Helicopters

Many of the earliest ideas of flight trace back to Ancient Greek mythology, namely the story of Icarus and how he flew too close to the sun. This early story depicted how Icarus aimed to fly away like a bird, using feathers and wax on his arms, yet he flew too close to the sun, the wax melted, and he fell back to earth. These early ideas of flight continued to develop into later periods, namely the Renaissance, where Leonardo da Vinci wrote about designs for potential mechanical flying machines. Among da Vinci’s drawn sketches are flying machines and aeronautical contraptions, such as ornithopters with mechanically driven flapping wings imitating the flight of birds, along with drawings similar to those of a helicopter (Leishman, 2023). At the beginning of the 19th century, George Cayley, an English nobleman and scientist, proposed various aircraft concepts, including gliders, types of airplanes, and a primitive helicopter (Leishman, 2023). These early models helped pave the way for later flying machines. He also identified some of the fundamentals of flight, namely lift, thrust, weight, and drag.

While others added designs and ideas to flight, the first to fly were the Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, in 1903. The flight consisted of a powered biplane aircraft that took off and landed under the control of its pilot. Notably, the Wright brothers designed and built the engine and propellers to power their aircraft, understanding how to integrate the essential components of an airplane and then make it work as a system (Leishman, 2023). They improved their designs and tested them using a wind tunnel they built. Here, they were able to study the aerodynamics of the wings when shaped differently, ultimately creating a wing and plane that was best suited to fly. For years, the Wright brothers developed their aircraft designs, and by 1908, their aircraft could fly for two hours and cover 100 miles (Leishman, 2023). As time went on, the uses of flight have grown, including warfare, private use, commercial travel, transportation, and more. As time continues on, planes and helicopters continue to be developed, becoming more advanced with respect to usefulness, speed, stealth, etc.

Cars

The development and widespread availability of cars as sources of transportation revolutionized the 1900s. The first motorized car was invented by Karl Benz in 1886, with early inventors laying the foundation for the future mass production of cars (Tolentino, 2023b). After significant technological advances, including the steamboat and railways, the next step was the production of personalized vehicles. Early models of car production were mostly independent with each car being carefully created at once before being sold off. It was not until Henry Ford that this model of car production changed. Ford revolutionized the industry by creating an assembly line where parts of a car were all brought together to a common factory mass-produced from there. This sped up the building process and reduced the cost of each car, making them more accessible to anyone who wanted to purchase one. As more cars were on the road, more developed highways and driving infrastructure were required. This radicalization of transportation allowed more people to travel independently and led to the development of extensive road networks, including the U.S. Interstate Highway System. As a whole, the development of cars has transformed daily living and allows for increased travel, trade, and socializing.

Conclusion

As society has changed throughout time, so too has transportation. This has served as a driving force in shaping economies, societies, cultures, and more throughout all of history. From the development of the wheel for transporting people and goods, to trains and steamboats for trade, to hot air balloons for beauty, each of these developments has transformed how people live and connect. The growth of transportation has enabled cities to expand, ideas to spread, and cultures to interact in ways previously unimaginable. As technology and in turn transportation continue to change, so too will society, paving the way for future developments and innovations.

Sources

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Leishman, J. G. (2023). History of Aircraft & Aviation. Eaglepubs.erau.edu, 2. https://doi.org/10.15394/eaglepub.2022.1066.n2

Oklahoma Historical Society. (2024). Steamboat Heroine. Www.okhistory.org; Oklahoma Historical Society. https://www.okhistory.org/learn/steamboat1

Tolentino, C. (2023a, November 2). Who Invented the Wheel? History of the Wheel | History Cooperative. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/who-invented-the-wheel/

Tolentino, C. (2023b, November 8). Who Invented the Car? History of the Automobile and Motor Vehicles | History Cooperative. History Cooperative. https://historycooperative.org/who-invented-the-car/

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twinkl. (2021). Transportation. Twinkl.com.au. https://www.twinkl.com.au/teaching-wiki/transportation