Developments of Human Transportation

By lep5797
  • 4000 BCE

    Humans begin to use animals as transportation

    Humans begin to use animals as transportation
    At this point in time, humans began to use animals like donkeys, horses, and camels for travel instead of just walking, like they used to do.
  • 3500 BCE

    The invention of the wheel

    The invention of the wheel
    The wheel was invented in Iraq at this time, and the first-ever wheel was made from wood.
  • 3100 BCE

    Invention of the sailboat

    Invention of the sailboat
    The sailboat was invented in Egypt. This invention was an improvement over the previous form of water transportation, which was a canoe-like boat.
  • 2000 BCE

    Invention of the chariot

    Invention of the chariot
    The first horse-drawn chariot was invented around this time, made possible by the invention of the wheel, which occurred 1500 years earlier.
  • 312 BCE

    The first great Roman Road, the Via Appia

    The first great Roman Road, the Via Appia
    At this time, Romans began to build their notoriously large networks of roads. Their first large road was the Via Appia.
  • 206 BCE

    Invention of the compass

    Invention of the compass
    This event was crucial to the development of sea travel. It was invented by the Chinese and eventually used by many other nations, especially during the Middle Ages.
  • 1485

    Leonardo da Vinci's Ornithopter

    Leonardo da Vinci's Ornithopter
    Leonardo da Vinci's famous "flying machine" was designed. This sparked interest in the prospect of humans being able to fly for centuries to come.

  • First working submarine

    First working submarine
    Cornelius Drebbel built the first-ever working submarine. It was able to descend about fifteen feet into the Thames River.

  • First steam powered car

    First steam powered car
    At this point, the first-ever steam-powered car was built by Nicolas Cugnot. It was three-wheeled and ran at the speed of a walk.

  • Horse-drawn Railways

    Horse-drawn Railways
    At this point, an early form of railway transport was used. It was known as the horsecar, and it involved a horse that pulled a streetcar.

  • First electric passenger train

    First electric passenger train
    The first ever electric train was invented by Werner von Siemens. This was an improvement over the steam powered trains that preceded it.

  • First ever true automobile

    First ever true automobile
    The first-ever gasoline-powered automobile was invented by Karl Friedrich Benz.

  • Electric streetcar installed on a public street

    Electric streetcar installed on a public street
    At this point, the first ever electric streetcar was used on a public street. This was an improvement over the previous horse-drawn streetcar.

  • First successful airplane

    First successful airplane
    At this time, the Wright Brothers made four flights at Kitty Hawk with their first airplane.

  • Beginning of space travel

    Beginning of space travel
    On this date, the Soviet Yuri Gagarin became the first person ever to travel in space. This was the beginning of space travel for humans.

  • Hyperloop designed

    Hyperloop designed
    The futuristic Hyperloop was designed on this date. The Hyperloop is a train that rides through tubes and can travel at nearly 800 miles per hour.