For centuries there has been an argument about what has been the single most useful invention in history. The answer to this question varies a lot from person to person. Many of the answers link back to the personal and professional background and IQ of an individual. But if there is one answer that almost everyone seems to agree upon, it is undeniably ‘The wheel’. The wheel is a very simple invention itself, based on the concept of a round revolving object around an axle. But have you ever known a mechanical equipment which does not contain at least one part based on the same concept? There is hardly any. From the very basic wheel used for cart to the ones used in a modern luggage cart and portable cart, the founding principle of wheel is still the same.

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

The oldest record of the usage of wheel is found to be of around 3500 BC in Mesopotamia and consecutively in Central Europe. The Mesopotamian wheel was a potter’s wheel created of clay. The same wheel travelled to Asia nearly half a century later. Artifiacts and evidences from Indus Valley civilization propose that it was used mainly for traveling carts. Many people think that mechanical and industrial usage of wheels dates back much prior to the usage in vehicles.

The wheel at that time was just a round slab of lumber or clay. During the 2000 BC, Egyptians used the wheels to create their elegant chariots. The Egyptian, as they did to any other thing, improved the wheel. They added spoke to make it stronger yet lighter than the slabs.

The wooden spooked wheel was used all over the world to run chariots and carts. With the coming of of Metal Age, people started to mold the wooden wheel into much stronger iron and bronze. It is important to note that the usage of wheels was still not much common as the roads were not proper.

It was in the Nineteenth century that the wheels took the next revolution. In 1802 G.F. Bauer invented the tension spoke. The round tension spokes provide flexibility and strength required. The very first tire was made to cover the bare rim of the wheel. The tire was nothing more than a thick and hard piece of rubber. In 1882, John Dunlop developed the inflatable tire to cushion his son’s bicycle and also patented it. The tires were air filled, therefore lessened the odds of injuries and aches during traveling.

These tires quickly became popular but they were not very durable. In only three to four miles, the tire would get bursted or any other problem was likely to appear. Currently, the tires we have in our automobiles can go 50,000 miles before getting puncture or anything. The revolution didn’t end here, today, we see tires which don’t even require air but are more resistant. And still, it is too early to say where the next roll of the wheel might lead to.