25 Most Significant Inventions In Human History

The creation of the wheel brought about incredible transformation in how humans moved around. Its circular shape took advantage of continuous momentum, which allowed for less force needed to move something. Over time, humans could move more objects around and with greater ease, leading to greater human movement at a reduced cost to strength. Imagine trying to travel from New York to Miami, first on foot, and then by car. The former case would take you well over a week, while the latter case, with the right conditions, can take no more than a single day.

Not only that, but wheels could be used for machines as well. Wind and watermills were built for continuous circular motion, and many heavy objects were built with wheels so that they could be moved more easily. Imagine trying to push a catapult with square wheels instead of circular ones. Or imagine cars, buses, or trucks with square wheels, incapable of using momentum to move forward. And you think that current greenhouse gas emissions are bad.

Without the wheel, modern travel in all its forms (cars, buses, trucks, trains, etc.) wouldn't have worked. Furthermore, harnessing certain forms of power that require constant motion (especially old water mills) certainly wouldn't have worked without any circular components. Even modern video and music wouldn't have been created, as video cassettes, CDs and DVDs all made use of circular construction.