What is Transportation History? (Overview 1)
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Posted by John Crandall Jul 18, 2006 |
I suppose we could start with the first amoeba-like protoplasmic lifeform squirming along on some pre-terrestrial asteroid, but I'm a little fuzzy on the details that far back, so let's start with the first step of the first man to walk upright. Whether that was a result of evolution or intelligent design, and whether or not his name was Adam . . . the first man was using the first human transportation technology - walking.
The History of Transportation spans the entire history of man. Early Paleolithic and Neolithic man walked through his world on his own two legs, and couldn't transport more than he was able to carry on his back. In the late Neo-lithic, Beasts of Burden began to be used after animal domestication (the horse would be domesticated around 2000 B.C. and a few animals predate that), but even then they could only carry what could be loaded onto or tied to their animal's backs. At some point early man became ambitious enough to want to move large stones or other heavy objects, and human ingenuity devised the log roller for this task. There is evidence that many cultures in many geographic areas used simple log roller technology, but dating this is tricky. It is likely that wear on extensively used log rollers eventually inspired the development of the wheel. A lot of the early information is theoretical and undocumentable for History as such, and is really more in the domain of Archeology or Anthropology, but is the preface to the History of Transportation.
I've tried to synopsize Transportation History in three brief overviews, but it will take my whole website and several more years to truly address the question What is Transportation History?
Developments on the Seas (Overview 2)
The Steam Revolution (Overview 3)
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For easy reference, here is a chronological listing of the topics I've covered so far (as of 11/1/2006)
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Mid 20th Century
Super Sonic Travel (breaking the sound barrier)
Early 20th Century
Amelia Earhart (part 1) (Life and achievments before fateful flight)
Charles Lindbergh (brief bio)
The Sopwith Camel (WWI military biplane)
Hugo Junkers and the J 1 (first metal monoplane)
Louis Bleriot (first monoplane)
The Wright Brothers (brief bio)
Late 19th Century
Otto Lilienthal (First man to fly successfully and repeatably)
Velocipede? (humorous look at pedal power)
Clipper Ships (depending on your definition of "clipper" may go back to 1812 or earlier)
Mid 19th Century
Tyres (John Dunlop and the first pneumatic rubber tires)
The Secret of Rubber (Charles Goodyear and vulcanization)
Early 19th Century
Transatlantic Steam (self explanatory)
Steamboat and Steamship Firsts
Sir George Cayley (Built a few simple gliders, perhaps father of aeronautical engineering)
Replaceable Parts (Eli Whitney and the importance of this concept)
The Old John Bull(overlaps to late 19th Century)(Early locomotive that still survives)
West Point Foundry (early role in locomotive and steam engine production in US)
Cornelius Vanderbilt (overlaps to mid 19th Century)(brief bio, and run in with William Walker)
Late 18th Century
The Steam Engine (James Watt and his revolutionary invention)
16th Century
Magellan's Voyage (circumnavigation)
Ferdinand Magellan (brief bio)
Magellan's Death (circumstances of his demise)
15th Century
Leonardo Da Vinci (lives into the 16th century, died 1519)(very brief bio)
Leonardo's Flying Machines (his amazing drawings)
Leonardo and the Parachute (he concieved of parachutes in the 15th century)
The Caravel (laps forward a century or so)(Portuguese sailing technology)
Dark Ages
Lief Ericson (discovered America?)
Eric the Red (brief bio)
Arabian Horses (overlaps to golden age of Islam and after)
Vikings, Longboats, and Navigation (sunstone and other thoughts)
Viking Voyages (where did the Vikings sail?)
Viking Longboats (the technology that enabled their accomplishments)
Building a Longboat (needs a little work trying to discuss longboat construction in a fictional story format)
Pre-Historic and Ancient
The Coracle (some overlap)(round hide boats of ancient Britain)
Roman Roads (Thier road network)
The Evolution of the Wheel (overlaps to current times)
The Wheel (duh)(It's kind of hard to write intelligently about something this simple, but at least I tried)
The Silk Road (overlaps to about 1400)(Route from the East)
As you can see, I haven't really covered to the 20th century beyond early aviation yet. I'll get there, eventually. Everything here is a work in process, and I am editing as I become aware of errors, or learn more in a given area. Don't be afraid to criticize, your criticism can help me to make my site and articles better. Every article has a discussion thread, and I have an e-mail address on the homepage, so let me know what you think.