β All stories
The Story of the Wheel
The idea that made everything roll
Hop in and let's roll back in time to see how a simple round shape changed human history forever!
1/6
- Long ago
Heavy Dragging
Long ago, people had to drag heavy rocks and big logs on the ground. It was super hard work and hurt their muscles!
The big idea
Rounding off sharp edges turns heavy dragging into easy rolling.
Fun facts
- β¨ Nature never invented a true mechanical wheel on any land animal, so humans had to imagine it from scratch!
- β¨ The oldest full wooden wheel ever found is over 5,000 years old and was discovered in a swamp in Slovenia.
- β¨ Early carts with spoked wheels were so fast that people called them 'flying chariots' thousands of years ago!
Science words
- Axle β A sturdy rod that goes through the middle of a wheel to keep it spinning in place.
- Friction β The sticky rubbing force that slows things down when two surfaces drag together.
- Spoke β A thin bar connecting the center of a wheel to its outer rim to make it lighter.