The History of Transportation - Essay Example

The paper shows that with the domestication of animals that can bear people on their backs, people found it more convenient and, during that time, more time-efficient to ride animals to get where they were going than walk. Consequently, people started to journey using horses, donkeys, camels, and even water buffalos. The distance did not matter although horses were more commonly used for long travels because of their speed. Land transportation soon saw another change. Mostly on horses, the man decided to find a much easier way to bring their crops or goods.

This brought about the development of rough sleds and sleds on the snow. The rolling drag was used for regular ground. Logs were placed under a platform so that the platform moved along whenever the logs rolled. Later on, the log was sliced and a hole was carved out from its center. This was called the wheel. The use of the wheel made transportation even faster and more convenient. It also made traveling more comfortable. Even before the beginning of the modern era, the wheel had given rise to carts, chariots, wagons, carriages, and coaches.

Carriages came with four wheels and a rounded top and were pulled by two or four horses. The decoration and the materials used in making the carriages defined what class of people used them. Even before domesticating animals, the man had already developed a way to move on water. “The origin of the dugout boat is one of history’s great mysteries.” (The History) Later on, a piece of cloth was added to the boat and this was called a sail. In the 16th century, explorers and traders alike would spend a lot of time on the descendant of the simple boat.

From the junks of the Chinese to the caravels of the Mediterranean and the caravels of the Europeans, men of the 16th century saw themselves moving across the seas aboard huge ships. The caravel was the most commonly used water vessel in the 16th century due to the fact that the built and strength met with the requirements of the explorers. Because of its sail arrangement, it could be easily maneuvered. It could also be easily adjusted which made it ideal for exploration, trading, warfare, and piracy.

Aside from the wheel, other major influences in transportation did not arise until the 18th and 19th centuries. Means of traveling in the 16th century, therefore, were still a result of the developments in transportation prior to the period. People in this era still moved around on foot, on boats and with the help of animals like those before them.