Progression of the Wheel

    The invention of the wheel began as something minor and beneficial to those living in Mesopotamia around 3500 B.C. At the time, they didn’t believe that something so minor in technology would become such a huge part of our everyday lives today. E.M. Rogers created the Diffusion of Innovation Theory which describes the momentum and diffusion of a product over time. The invention of the wheel follows the pattern of events from the innovators to the laggards.

    When the wheel was first invented, it was something as simple as a potter’s wheel to help mold clay into dishes and other utensils. Not everyone used it as it wasn’t a tool most people would operate on a daily basis. From there, the invention started to go downhill and there wasn’t much of a purpose anymore until later on when they reinvented the idea.

 

    With a lack of unpaved roadways and smooth surfaces, the wheel never became a great form of transportation until further in the future. Animals were being used as a form of transportation before wheels became prominent, especially on the Silk Road as a means of trade. Horses and camels seemed to have provided more than the wheel could and they can travel over any surface without many problems.

    The earliest found use of the wheel, when it came to transportation, was the creation of the wheelbarrow in 231 A.D. by Zhuge Liang of Shu Han in China. Zhuge Liang would be an example of an innovator in the use of the wheel for transportation. The wheelbarrow was best used as a way of transporting food and supplies to the battlefields. Additionally, it was used to carry injured soldiers away from the battle. At the time of invention, these wheelbarrows were made of wood and consisted of a wheel and an axle making the wheel spin as it moved. Those who had used the wheelbarrow were what E.M. Rogers called, early adopters since they embraced the opportunity to help other soldiers.

    Eventually, the use of animals was strengthened because, in the second millennium BCE, the access of chariots was being utilized on horses and ox to carry additional cargo. Additionally, wheels were still being used for irrigation, milling, and for pottery. Those who were using the wheel often were considered to be the early majority because they found new ways to better the idea of the invention. Since the wheelbarrow only contained one wheel, the size wasn’t much of an issue. However, later on, this would be a problem when working with multiple wheels at once. Wheels had to be the same size or else the means of transportation wouldn’t work as smoothly. Furthermore, the wheel had to be aligned perfectly with the axis, or else the contraption wouldn’t work at all. Over time, once perfected, the wheel was used in many different ways that helped benefit a lot of people and their communities. 

 

    It wasn’t until August 26^th, 1791, that the wheel was patented by a man named James Macomb. He had used the invention to create the hollow water wheel to hydropower mills during the time the patent was issued. Before James Macomb patented the wheel, some people were still skeptical of the idea, these people were considered the late majority and laggards. Some may have eventually adopted the idea and others did not. Since then, the wheel has only improved more and more. It isn’t only used as a form of transportation today but as other means to make life just a little easier. For example, in the 21^st century, we have airplanes, cars, bicycles, and so much more with wheels to move us from place to place. They even have wheels on Mars to help the Curiosity rover travel around and explore the planet. Our classroom even contains wheels. There are wheels on the bottom of our chairs and in the drawers to help them open and close. We are surrounded by this invention every day and it has advanced our world in more ways than one.

    The use of wheels has been a trial-and-error process since 3500 B.C. Today, they are used constantly and all around us. Without this invention, we would not be where we are today in the sense of technology. Wheels were, and still are, a ground-breaking invention that we will continue to use and develop for eternity.