1. The Evolution of the Wheel

2. The Beginning
3500 B.C. the wheel was seen in Ancient Mesopotamia (potter’s wheel)
3200 B.C. the wheel was first seen used for transportation (Mesopotamian chariots)
Before the first wheel, many rollers were required to move objects.
This problem was overcome by the Flintstones

4. The Mesopotamians

5. Further Innovations
2000 B.C. the Egyptians invented the first wheel with spokes.
They did this by carving the wheels to the right shape.
1000 B.C. iron rims where invented by the Celtics

6. Wire Spokes 1802: G.F. Bauer invented wire tension spoke.
Wire threaded through the entire wheel.
Within a few years, a new innovation was made to Bauer's design.

7. The Pneumatic Tire
1845: R. W. Thomson invented the first pneumatic tire (filled with compressed air).
Leather tread, rubber inner tube.
1888 the pneumatic tire was reinvented by John Dunlop.
Outer tube made canvas covered by vulcanized rubber.

8. More Metal In 1926, steel welded-spoke wheels were invented.
In the late 1960s, wheels started to be casted out of different alloys.
Magnesium alloy wheel on a Porsche Carrera GT.

9. The Future 2006: the Tweel returns to using a non-pneumatic solution.
The rolling surface consists of a rubber tread, bonded to the hub by flexible spokes.
The flexible spokes are fused with a deformable wheel that absorbs shocks and rebounds.

10. The End

11. Work Cited
Google Images. (n.d.). Google. Retrieved September 6, 2011, from
History of the Wheel - autoevolution. (n.d.). autoevolution - automotive news & test drives - nihil sine machinae. Retrieved September 6, 2011, from
John Dunlop, Jr rode a bicycle » Cyclelicious. (n.d.). Cyclelicious. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from
Tire | Vehicle Terms, Parts and Abbreviations. (n.d.). Diseno-art.com | From Concept Cars to Power Boats. Retrieved September 8, 2011, from
Yenne, B., & Morton. (n.d.). Wheel History - Invention of the Wheel. The Great Idea Finder - Celebrating the Spirit of Innovation . Retrieved September 6, 2011, from