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Zusammenfassung von A Brief History of Motion

Name: A Brief History of Motion
Rating: 4.3 (94 reviews)
Author: Tom Standage

Tom Standage

From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next

4.3 (94 Bewertungen)

28 Min.

Kurz zusammengefasst

'A Brief History of Motion' by Tom Standage is an insightful book that explores the evolution of transportation, from foot travel to self-driving cars. It offers a fascinating glimpse into how humans have innovated to move ourselves and our goods over time.

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Kapitalismus & Freie Marktwirtschaft Kultur Wandel & Evolution Klimawandel Anthropologie

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A Brief History of Motion
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What’s in it for me? Discover how much the car has impacted our daily lives and what’s in store for the future.

When it comes to cars, you may think that issues like the electric car and renewable fuel sources are relatively recent concerns. But the fact of the matter is that these debates have been going on since the first cars were rolling off the assembly line. Only now, these debates have reached a point where it seems like changes are finally being made.

For most of us, cars have been around for so long that we tend to overlook the critical role they played in how our towns and cities were designed. In large and small ways, cars have a day-to-day impact on our lives. With climate change wreaking havoc and a pandemic disrupting our habits, it seems we’ve finally found the time to rethink our relationship with our cars and take back our streets once and for all.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how chariots were the first status symbol on wheels;
why early electric cars were marketed toward women; and
why the smartphone may hold the future of transportation.

The invention of the wheel led to both practical uses and luxurious status symbols for ancient kings.

Science has given us a lot of answers over the years, but history still retains a few secrets. For instance, who invented the wheel? For a while, it was assumed that the wheel came from Mesopotamia, often referred to as the “cradle of civilization,” and emerged sometime around 3500 BC.

However, new carbon dating results suggest that the origins of the wheel may reside in the Carpathian mountains, in areas like western Ukraine. A clay model of a bull on four wheels, found in Ukraine, was dated to have been made between 3950 to 3650 BC. In nearby southern Poland, a drawing of a four-wheeled carrier was found etched onto a pot that dates back to 3630 - 3380 BC.

The key message here is: The invention of the wheel led to both practical uses and luxurious status symbols for ancient kings.

The Carpathian mountains were loaded with copper ore, which was one of the major ingredients that precipitated the Bronze Age. Mining copper ore was no easy task, of course, and it makes perfect sense that the world’s first small hand-pulled wheeled vehicles would be ones that were used to cart ore out of the copper mines. So it was from the Carpathians that the invention of the wheel spread outward, to areas such as Mesopotamia. At least that’s the theory that historian Richard Bulliet helped popularize in 2016.

But, surprisingly enough, wheels didn’t catch on overnight. They weren’t exactly easy to make with the tools at the time. And since it would be a while before axles and other modifications would make turning possible, their use was limited. By 3000 BC, two-wheeled carts were being used, but it wasn’t until 2000 BC that chariots took wheels into new territory.

The invention of spoked wheels was a big leap. It meant wheels could be bigger, lighter, and faster. This led to the creation of chariots, which were pioneered by the Hittites as a military tool. Not only were they used to move weapons and supplies, war chariots were also painstakingly decked out with lavish decorations and used to elevate kings and heroic warriors into faster-than-life, god-like beings. Indeed, it was common for Egyptian and Hittite rulers to be buried with their chariots upon death. Already, wheels were becoming something of a status symbol in ancient times.

Roman roads and innovations gave way to coaches and, eventually, trains.

By the mid-fourth century BC, the chariot was obsolete as a military vehicle. But in the centuries to come it would continue to be a fixture of competitive games in Rome. Successful chariot racers were the superstar athletes of the day, as well as some of the richest men around.

As for the evolution of the wheel, Roman wagons and two-wheeled carts were helping to carry goods throughout the expansive Roman region. This led to the creation of Roman roads and some of the first standardized rules of the road, as well as city planning that focused on creating a traffic system. In the city of Pompeii, a grid-like system of one-way streets was created that isn’t too different from Manhattan.

People were eager for a cleaner and quieter horseless carriage.

Ah, city life. If you’ve ever been a resident of a major metropolis, you know that being part of a bustling hub full of culture and entertainment comes with a price. And if you were walking around New York or London in 1890, one of the biggest costs was horse manure. In London alone, there were 300,000 horses trotting along, and each one left behind around 22 pounds of manure, along with a quart of urine, every day.

People complained of the noise, the terrible smell, the sheer difficulty in crossing the street. And on rainy days, those streets could become a literal cesspool of filth that would get splashed across sidewalks, doorways, and people alike. The consensus was clear: something had to change.

Attitudes toward cars went from hostile to accepting as prices came down.

One year after the Paris-Rouen race, the follow-up competition was more ambitious in every possible way. The race covered 730 miles, from Paris to Bordeaux. And this time a car, powered by a cutting-edge Daimler Phoenix engine, reached an average speed of 15 mph. It arrived in Bordeaux a full eleven hours before the second car, a Peugeot. Unfortunately, the Daimler had only two seats, rather than the required four, and was disqualified. But the writing was on the wall, petrol engines were the winner.

Thanks in part to the excitement over these races – the press coverage was captivating readers on both sides of the Atlantic – interest in automobiles was gaining momentum. But the reception to actual cars on public roads would be mixed at best.

Starting in the 1920s, cars became important status symbols.

Between 1900 and 1920, the number of cars on the road in the US had increased a thousand times over, from 8,000 cars on the road, to 8 million. In Europe, the numbers were equally staggering. But by this time, attitudes about cars were changing once again, and the Model T was already considered passé.

General Motors, in particular, was revolutionizing the automotive game. GM had a collection of brand names under its umbrella, and each brand represented a step up the economic ladder. Plus, in 1919, GM introduced a payment plan option, which gave people the chance to become drivers even if they couldn’t afford the full price. GM customers could also trade in their old car as a way to help take the next step up the ladder.

By the 1930s, the car industry was booming and decisions with lasting consequences were being made.

Millions more cars on the road meant more accidents. It took some time before things like standardized signage, traffic lights, and speed limits would be set. Many of these rules of the road would start in the US and make their way over to Europe. In fact, many can be traced back to Los Angeles. It may sound unlikely, but California weather was particularly friendly to drivers and the state has always had a high number of cars on the road.

Still, leading up to the 1930s, there was some debate about whether the roads were for people, or for cars. Car lobbyists were blaming jaywalkers for accidents, while pedestrians were blaming cars. In 1934, the law was decided: pedestrians had to cross in designated areas. Crosswalks. Otherwise, cars had the right of way.

Marketing, politics, and science all factored into a reliance on gasoline.

Believe it or not, electric cars have been around for over 100 years. While they tend to have a limited range before the battery needs to be recharged or swapped out, electric cars have always been recognized as well-suited for short trips within a city.

In the 1910s, the Electric Vehicle Company had a viable plan for establishing a fleet of electric cars, known as the Electrobat, that would operate like taxis around New York City. They even had an efficient battery-swapping operation to keep their cars moving. But a fraudulent loan scandal sank the company just as it was gaining traction.

There are some positive signs that people may be able to reclaim the streets.

There is an inescapable irony about the automobile. Cars were intended to alleviate the noise and pollution caused by horses. But in the long run they’ve made our streets noisier than ever, and the harmful compounds in vehicle exhaust can cause cancer and respiratory diseases. Then there’s the fact that cars, trucks, and buses are responsible for one-fifth of the global CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change.

There’s also no denying that our reliance on gasoline has had a long-term effect in shaping our geopolitical structures, which also seem unsustainable at this time. In another twist, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of the world to reevaluate the way we do things, which includes questioning the value we’ve placed in car ownership.

While automated vehicles remain out of reach, bundled transportation apps are gaining popularity.

Another fanciful idea suggested in the Futurama exhibit back in 1939 was automated vehicles. In the future, cars would drive themselves. Norman Bel Geddes envisioned roads with sensors that would guide the cars along in peaceful harmony. These days, it's the cars that have the sensors, but the general idea is remarkably the same.

A lot of time, effort, and money are being spent these days on trying to develop autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, but its future remains uncertain. Instead, there is a smartphone-based technology that appears the more likely option for future transportation.

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Worum geht es in A Brief History of Motion?

A Brief History of Motion (2021) provides a revealing overview of the history, and possible future, of the automobile. From the invention of the wheel, to early steam engine contraptions and the enticing promises of automated cars, you’ll find out how these vehicles changed the course of human history, and the unexpected problems they’ve caused along the way.

Wer A Brief History of Motion lesen sollte

Gearheads
Anyone concerned about climate change
Investors wondering about the future of transportation

Über den Autor

Tom Standage has been a writer for the Economist since 1998 and now serves as the publication’s deputy editor. He is also a popular commentator and keynote speaker, often on the subjects of technology and social trends. He is the author of numerous best-selling books including A History of the World in Six Glasses and An Edible History of Humanity.

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