Before the invention of the wheel, humans were severely limited in how much stuff we

could transport over land, and how far. The wheel itself wasn't the most difficult part of
"inventing the wheel." When it came time to connect a non-moving platform to that
rolling cylinder, things got tricky, according to David Anthony, an emeritus professor of
anthropology at Hartwick College.

"The stroke of brilliance was the wheel-and-axle concept," Anthony previously told Live
Science. "But then making it was also difficult." For instance, the holes at the center of
the wheels and the ends of the fixed axles had to be nearly perfectly round and smooth,
he said. The size of the axle was also a critical factor, as was its snugness inside the
hole (not too tight, but not too loose, either).

You might say who invented the wheel? No one individual, culture, or civilization can
take sole credit for inventing the wheel, although the general consensus is that the
ancient Sumerians had a hand in it. Hard work paid off, big time. Wheeled carts
facilitated agriculture and commerce by enabling the transportation of goods to and from
markets, as well as easing the burdens of people traveling great distances.

-Shwe Eaindra Min @Lucy