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4000 BCE
Ancient Transportation
The first form of transport was, of course, Shanks pony (the human foot!). However people eventually learned to use animals for transport. Donkeys and horses were probably domesticated between 4,000 and 3,000 BC (obviously the exact date is not known). Camels were domesticated slightly later between 3,000 and 2,000 BC. -
2500 BCE
roman transportation later on
Transport by water was also important to the Romans. They built large merchant ships called cortia, which could carry up to 1,000 tons of cargo. Roman ships had a single main mast, which carried a rectangular sail, although some ships also had small sails at the bow and stern. Roman ships did not have rudders. Instead they were steered by oars. The Romans also built lighthouses to aid shipping. -
2000 BCE
Roman Transportation
The Romans are famous for the network of roads they built across the Empire. Roman legionaries built them so the Roman army could march from one part of the empire to another quickly. Rich people traveled by horse or on long journeys by covered wagon. Sometimes they were carried in litters (seats between two long poles). -
1500
Transportation in the Middle Ages
After the fall of Rome transport became more primitive. Roads in Europe returned to being simple dirt tracks, which turned to mud in the Winter. In the Middle Ages rich people sometimes traveled in covered wagons. They must have been very uncomfortable as they did not have suspension and roads were bumpy and rutted. Others traveled on a box between two poles. Two horses, one in front and one behind carried it. They were trained to walk at the same pace. -
1500
Transportation in the 16th Century
In Tudor times transport was still slow and uncomfortable. Roads were still just dirt tracks. Men were supposed, by law, to spend a number of days repairing the local roads but it is unlikely they did much good! People traveled by horse. -
1550
the compass/transportation
The Chinese invented the compass centuries before it was used in Europe. Nevertheless by the 12th century Europeans had learned to use it. Also in the 12th century Europeans invented the rudder. (The Chinese independently invented it centuries before). Rudders made ships much easier to steer. Furthermore Medieval shipbuilding became far more advanced and by the 15th century ships were made with 3 masts. Life in the Middle Ages -
Transportation in the 17th Century
Transport and communications improved in the 17th century. In 1600 the royal posts were exclusively used to carry the kings correspondence. However in 1635, to raise money, Charles I allowed members of the public to pay his messengers to carry letters. This was the start of the royal mail. -
package horse transportation
Goods were sometimes transported by pack horse (horses with bags on their sides). Also carriers with covered wagons carried goods and sometimes passengers. However when possible people preferred to transport goods by water. All around England there was a 'coastal trade'. Goods from one part of the country, such as coal, were taken by sea to other parts. -
1663 transportation
From the middle of the 17th century stagecoaches ran regularly between the major towns. However they were very expensive and they must have been very uncomfortable without springs on rough roads. There was also the danger of highwaymen. In 1663 the first Turnpike roads opened. You had to pay to use them. Meanwhile in towns wealthy people were carried in sedan chairs. -
Transportation in the 18th Century pt 1
Transport was greatly improved during the 18th century. Groups of rich men formed turnpike trusts. Acts of Parliament gave them the right to improve and maintain certain roads. Travelers had to pay tolls to use them. The first turnpikes were created as early as 1663 but they became far more common in the 18th century. -
Transportation in the 18th Century pt 2
Transporting goods was also made much easier by digging canals. In the early 18th century goods were often transported by pack horse. Moving heavy goods was very expensive. However in 1759 the Duke of Bridgewater decided to build a canal to bring coal from his estate at Worsley to Manchester. He employed an engineer called James Brindley. When it was completed the Bridgewater canal halved the price of coal in Manchester. Many more canals were dug in the late 18th century. -
Transportation in the 18th Century pt 3
Meanwhile in France the Montgolfier brothers invented the hot air balloon in 1783. The hydrogen balloon was also invented in 1783. In 1785 two men, Jean-Pierre Blanchard and John Jeffries flew over the English Channel in a hydrogen balloon. -
Transportation in the 19th Century
In the mid 19th century transport was revolutionized by railways. They made travel much faster. (They also removed the danger of highwaymen). The Stockton and Darlington railway opened in 1825. However the first major railway was from Liverpool to Manchester. It opened in 1830. In the 1840s there was a huge boom in building railways and most towns in Britain were connected. In the late 19th century many branch lines were built connecting many villages. -
20th century transportation
Transportation greatly improved during the 20th century. Although the first cars appeared at the end of the 19th century after the First World War they became cheaper and more common. However in 1940 only about one in 10 families in Britain owned a car. They increased in number after World War II. By 1959 32% of households owned a car. Yet cars only became really common in the 1960s. By the 1970s the majority of families owned one. -
Transportation in the 21st Century
The next step in transport will probably be commercial suborbital space flight. At the moment it is still in the future and at first it will inevitably be very expensive but it will eventually become cheap enough for ordinary people to afford.
