History of transport - Information for kids
There are many types of transport. We can walk or drive a car or ride in a taxi of fly or go with a train.
- What type of transport have you used?
It is very easy for us to get from one place to another. Transport can be on land, water or in the air, but it was not always as easy as it is tody.
Lets look at different means of transport on land and how it has changed over time.
Before there were different types of transport, people would walk to where they wanted to be. Walking is the oldest form of transport.
People realized later on that they could use donkeys and horses to travel with and also use them to carry thing. People living in the desert used camels. Some people like the Khoikhoi used their cattle for transport and to carry their goods.
Have a look at why a camel is a good mode of transportation in the desert.
Later on people discovered that if they use cattle or horses to pull a cart or a wagon or a coaches they could transport more goods and even people and they could be transported easily and quickly from one point to another.
Carts are the first vehicles we know about that had wheels. A cart has two wheels and are pulled by a horse or a donkey.
A wagon is almost the same as a cart but it has 4 wheels. It can be used to carry heavy loads over long distances. Most wagons are pulled by oxen, but can also be pulled by horses.
A coach or carriage is a closed wagon that were used for transporting people. If you have ever watched a Western movie, then you would have seen coaches being used to transport people or to deliver post. Only important or rich people could afford to travel in carriages.
Today we still find that some people use carriages in certain times like the royal family of Britain or many times for a wedding..
Bicycles are also a common way of transport and have changed a lot over the years.
The first bicycle was made in 1790 in France and was made of wood and had no pedals or steering wheel (that just sounds like an accident waiting to happen.
In 1870 they build the first bicycle out of metal and it had pedals and a steering wheel. It was called the Penny-farthing and was very strange looking and not very save. It had a very big front wheel and a small wheel at the back. Many people got hurt because of this bike.
The bicycles as we know it today was invented in England in 1885. The best change they made to this bicycle was that both wheels were the same size and where much easier and saver to ride.
Watch the video for extra information on the history of bicycles
