You Are Free to Move About

I love to travel and this month is giving me several opportunities. For Christmas, we are flying to the U.K. to spend the holiday with our son, his wife, and her family. So, in the past few days, Dave and I drove to North Carolina to visit our daughter and her family. Then, it was on to Georgia for some time with my mother, my sister, and my brother-in-law. It got me thinking about modes of transportation and reminded me of traveling by train and boat in Europe in addition to cars and planes.

Before all these modern conveniences, how did mankind move around? In the earliest days, people walked everywhere they went. Any goods they needed to take with them were either carried or strapped to a sled and pulled behind them.

Between 4000 and 3000 BC, wild beasts, such as horses, oxen, donkeys, and camels, became domesticated and were used to carry the load, making it easier to transport greater cargo.

Around the same time, dugout canoes improved travel by using streams and rivers to get from one place to another. This mode of transport also expanded the regions they could travel to by simplifying their ability to cross bodies of water. Soon, men were designing and building small boats, which increased their range of movement.

The invention of the wheel in Mesopotamia in 3500 BC revolutionized the way man could move from one place to another. The construction of a cart followed this invention and significantly increased the weight of cargo that man could transport. Over the centuries, carts developed into larger wagons and grand carriages.

As wheels and carts improved, civilizations, such as the Greeks and Egyptians, began building roads around 509 BC to connect their cities. But none were as adept at building roads as the ancient Romans. They constructed extensive networks in smooth, straight lines between two points by layering stones, gravel, and sand. This enabled them to increase not only trade but also military might. As early as 312 BC, the Via Appia stretched from Rome to Capua, a distance of 212 miles (340 km). Their road-building prowess peaked around the 1^st century AD and included the Via Domitia in Gaul (France) and Watling Street in Great Britain. By the end of the 3^rd century AD, the construction of Roman roads had declined significantly.

Further development in improving travel occurred during the Medieval period, including the invention of the stirrup in the 7^th century, allowing easier riding for cavalry and transportation. Between the 8^th and 11th centuries, the development of Viking longships enabled not only transportation but raiding and exploration by sea.

The Early Modern Period, or the Age of Exploration, saw considerable advancements in shipping. Soon, large sailing vessels crossed the Atlantic Ocean, which enabled settlement in new frontiers, such as the Americas. Canals popped up in China and Great Britain, making it easier for people to travel around the country.

The next major leap forward came during the Industrial Revolution of the 18^th and 19th centuries. In 1769, James Watt received a patent for his design for steam engines that he went on to apply to ships and trains, which enabled the first railway line, the Stockton-Darlington Rail, to open in the U.K. in 1825.

The 20^th century saw the first powered flight by human beings by the Wright Brothers on a North Carolina Beach in 1903, leading to the birth of commercial flight in the 1920s.

The invention of the Model T Ford, the first mass-produced car, in 1908 made it possible for more people to own a motorized vehicle.

Soon, people looked underground, and the London subway system was created in 1863. The New York Subway followed in 1904.

Man next ventured into space exploration, first with Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth. About the size of a beach ball, the craft was launched by the Soviet Union on October 4, 1957. And the space race began, ultimately landing a man on the moon with the 1969 landing of Apollo 11.

While I’ve never been to space, and most likely never will, I have traveled by most of the other means available today. However, I like the feel of the earth beneath my feet and do not enjoy flying. Though I must admit, taking off in one place and landing a few hours later in another does appeal to me.

With all the latest advances, such as electric cars, self-driving cars, and the possibility of space tourism, what do you think the future will bring?