The 12 Biggest Breakthroughs In Transportation Technology
TABLE OF CONTENTS Roads 4 Wheel 6 Sailboat 8 Train 10 Steamboat 12 Hot Air Balloon 14 Cable Car 16 Model T Automobile 18 Airplane 20 Jet Airplane 22 Electric Car 24 Space Flight 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32
1 ROADS PAVE WAY FOR NEW TRANSPORTATION MODES For the earliest humans the first means of transportation was simply walking People followed paths trampled by animals Later they built roads to make travel easier The first evidence of roads built by people appeared in approximately 4000 BCE A city in what is now Iraq had streets paved with stone Other early roads were made of packed earth Travelers followed them on foot atop animals and later in vehicles pulled by animals The Roman Empire built the first major road system starting in approximately 300 BCE A typical Roman road had several layers A trench was filled with large stones These were covered with smaller stones cement and sand A top layer of smooth paving stones formed the surface of the road These well-built roads linked trade routes between Europe and Asia Modern technology has led to complex highway systems 4
Rome Italy still uses some of its ancient cobblestone roads Roads let people travel long distances more quickly and easily They could move to new places to find food or work They could trade goods between cities People also learned about 46,000 Approximate miles 74,030 km of highways in the US interstate system First used in approximately 4000 BCE in Iraq Made of stones and packed earth and later pavement Helped people travel greater distances distant places from travelers Roads connected these places and created the foundation for later forms of transportation ROADS ACROSS AMERICA The first highway to cross the United States was finished in the 1920s The Lincoln Highway went from New York City to San Francisco California In 1956 President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Federal Aid Highway Act It funded more than 40,000 miles 64,374 km of roads In time highways linked all major cities 5
