From camels and rafts to rockets and submarines transportation technology has grown and devel oped alongside human civilization At its most basic level the purpose of transportation is to move people and goods more easily or across greater distances than would be possible on foot But through the ages vital communications have also gone hand-in-hand with advances in transportation including the royal messengers running thousands of miles along the Inca foot highway five hundred years ago as well as today’s jet-setting elites and governmental envoys carrying briefcases with billion-dollar trade secrets and negotiations to end armed conflicts From ancient times transportation technology changed slowly or in spurts By the 1800s however steam-powered machines helped people span dis tances like never before More efficient diesel and gasoline-powered engines dominated the 1900s followed by electric and computerized transportation technologies in our own time Not all people have equal access to transpor tation technologies however Wealthier citizens can afford the most up-to-date private cars although major cities are in desperate need of affordable and responsible public transit for people of all income 4 INTRODUCTION
A mug-sized model of an early wheeled cart The use of wheels helped carry people crops and supplies farther and with less effort than ever before aiding in the evolution of farms and towns levels as well as for people with disabilities Moving further into the twenty-first century transportation technology must balance speed and efficiency with more holistic concerns such as environmental sus tainability and more equal distribution and access 5
Chapter 1 EARLY TRANSPORTATION Early humans relied on walking to get from place to place With the advent of agriculture domes ticated animals provided a source of food and cloth ing Eventually people saw greater potential in some animal species which they harnessed to provide faster and easier travel In the Middle East camels have been used as transportation for thousands of years They are often called the ships of the desert because they provide such an ideal form of transportation as they are able to go without water for days and can carry people or freight Other animals were domesticated for trans portation in different regions Early peoples also found that putting heavy loads on sledges enabled them to slide heavier objects along the ground with less effort than needed to carry 66
Camels have been used for thousands of years in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East to carry people and goods The animals are well suited for their desert environment 7
