I am the greatest invention that has yet to be seen on this world. I am round. I roll all over the ground. I turn all day, my job is never-ending. Spokes I may have, air I may be filled with. Out of rubber, wood, or metal I may be. I am everywhere. I make your lives easier, yet, most don’t give a second thought about me when they see me. Who am I? A wheel of course! The wheel invention has had an impact on our lives greatly making it easier and safer to carry about our daily businesses. Not only that, but it has allowed us to transverse great distances with ease and in-turn spread our influence. The wheel, since its creation has affected everyone and if it were not created, would have changed the way we lived.

Researchers believe that the wheel originated in ancient Mesopotamia around the fifth millennium BC. It was first used as a potter’s wheel (which seems mundane and a waste considering the wonders of its other “skills). In 3700 BC graves have been found with people being buried in carts. These carts are one of the oldest known manifestations of the wheel. It then made its way to Asia, China specifically. There, the wheel was used in chariots and other drawn vehicles. A variant of the wheel, the spoked wheel was created around 2000 BC. The spokes enabled the wheels to be lighter and faster. The wheel continued evolving into what we now perceive as a wheel today.

The wheel itself, has affected all of us in great ways. The most obvious example would be vehicles, cars and bikes. They help us get around easier and faster than we could before on foot. We now travel at many miles per hour as compared to three or four. But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The wheel has allowed us to transport more things than ever. Most of what we touch has gotten to us by some form of vehicle which has wheels. In addition, wheels are used so often in architecture, not only in the assembling of the structures, but in some designs as well. Props, like propellers and jet engines are also considered a form of the wheel. Wheels also provide electricity through uses like waterwheels. Gears are based off of the wheel. The list just rolls on and on. Our heads would roll without the wheel. The wheel is wheely great (puns intended). 

As you can see, the wheel has affected us in great and profound ways. It can truly be called, the greatest invention of all time. Where would we ever be without the wheel? I shudder to think of a world without the usefulness and the services provided by the wheel. Once you think about it, this is truly true. From such humble beginnings, as a potter’s wheel, to something so important in day to day life. Not only important, but also versatile and ever changing with new and evolved uses. Where will the wheel take us next?