Transportation Evolution

A set of Q&A style flashcards covering major milestones in transportation history from walking to modern tech, including wheels, ships, aviation, space, and mass transit developments.

What was the first means of transportation used in the Prehistoric Period?

The human foot (walking).

What was the first mode of transportation created to traverse water, around 7600 BC?

Log boats (early canoes).

What is the Pesse Canoe and why is it significant?

The oldest boat unearthed, dating back to about 7600 BCE; a log boat.

When did humans begin domesticating animals for transport and goods?

Around 4000 BCE.

Where is evidence of the wheel's invention found and around what time?

In Mesopotamia, the Northern Caucasus, and Central Europe around 3500 BCE.

What is the Bronocice Pot and why is it notable?

The earliest well-dated artifact depicting a four-wheeled wagon with two axles.

What does Sails and Ships refer to in 4000 BC–600 BC?

Navigation at sea began among Egyptians; Greeks and Phoenicians traded by ship; China turned to water transport.

What was the primary use of chariots in ancient times?

A mode of transportation for war.

What is the China Grand Canal?

The world’s longest constructed waterway.

What was the purpose of Roman roads?

Conquest and administration, migrations, and diffusion of Christianity.

What navigation tool originated in Ancient China?

The compass.

Where and when was the first known public bus line launched?

Paris, 1662; Blaise Pascal; horse-drawn bus.

What is the Horse Bus in early transportation history?

An early form of public horse-drawn bus transport.

Who built the first working submarine prototype?

Cornelius Drebbel.

When and by whom was the steam-engine-based transport car demonstrated?

1769 by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot in Paris.

What is the Roper Steam Velocipede known for?

The first motorcycle, demonstrated in 1867.

What is the Clermont steamboat known for?

The first commercially successful steamboat.

What was the first successful human-carrying flight technology?

The hot air balloon (1783).

Who demonstrated the first steam locomotive and when?

Richard Trevithick in 1801.

What is the bicycle's precursor and who invented it?

The running machine (early bicycle) invented by Karl von Drais in 1817.

Who patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, the first automobile?

Karl Benz (1886).

What vehicle helped make cars affordable to the masses and when?

Ford Model T in 1908.

What is a Zeppelin?

The first successful airship.

What is the DC-3 known for in aviation history?

The world’s first successful commercial airliner.

What is the significance of the Wright Brothers in aviation?

First successful powered flight of an airplane (1903).

What is Sputnik 1?

The first human-made object launched into space (1957).

When did the first high-speed rail system begin operations and where?

1964 in Japan (the Shinkansen).

What is the Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) and when did it open?

A railway tunnel linking Great Britain and mainland Europe; opened in 1994.

What is Apollo 11 known for?

The first manned moon landing (1969).

What is the hoverboard and when did it become popular?

Self-balancing scooter; Became notable around 2013.