THE WHEEL: HUMANITY’S TURNING POINT IN HISTORY

Inspiration to Write

The Wheel: Humanity’s Turning Point in History

Everywhere we look today, we see the presence of the wheel. From the cars and bicycles on the streets to the tiny gears inside our watches and machines, the wheel silently powers our daily lives. It has become so ordinary, so natural, that most of us hardly stop to imagine a world without it.

But what if humanity had never invented the wheel? How would we have carried heavy loads? How would cities have grown without carts, carriages, and trains? Could the Industrial Revolution have taken place without spinning wheels and flywheels? Would we have ever reached the moon without wheels guiding our spacecraft?

This simple thought—what would life look like without the wheel?—sparked the idea for this book. The wheel is not just a round object that turns; it is a symbol of progress, motion, and continuity. It reminds us that even the simplest ideas can change the world in the most profound ways.

I felt inspired to write The Wheel because I wanted to take readers on a journey of rediscovery. To look again at something so common yet so revolutionary. To remind us that behind every invention lies a story of human creativity, struggle, and imagination.

This book is an invitation to pause, reflect, and appreciate the humble wheel—not only as a mechanical wonder but also as a turning point in the history of civilization.

About the Writer

Anand Kumar Mishra is an author, educator, and lifelong observer of innovation and inventions. From childhood, watching carts, clocks, wheels on toys, and the gears inside broken machines sparked his fascination with how simple mechanisms shape our world.

After completing studies in history, science communication, and design, Anand Kumar Mishra worked for several years in teaching and research, exploring how human ingenuity translates into everyday objects and transformative machines. Constantly asking questions like “Why this shape?”, “How did it evolve?”, “What difference did it make?” led him to write about the wheel—arguably one of the most ordinary yet extraordinary inventions in human history.

He has published numerous articles, essays, and short pieces on history, technology, and design, and has been actively involved in institutions, workshops, teaching, and blogging where communicating technical and historical subjects to students and general readers has been his main focus.

When not writing or researching, Anand Kumar Mishra enjoys sketching machines, exploring museums, cycling (a direct connection to wheels!), traveling to ancient ruins, and woodwork. Based in India, he believes that rediscovering the stories behind everyday objects enriches our understanding of ourselves and the civilizations we build.