Sharon 3haugnessys age 12; of  B. C.,

What is the origin of the wheel?

The original wheel was most likely a tree trunk. Early man found he could shift a heavy load by rolling it‑along over a log. The beautiful spoked wheel developed bit by bit from this simple idea. The earliest cart was a kind of sled moved along on a log roller, Later, the log was grooved in the center to hold the sled. Later still, the center groove shrunk to a rod. The log had become two disks, one at each end, joined by a center rod„

In the next stage, a board was set at right angles under the sled from side to side, The center rod in the log ran through two holes in this board. Now the cart could roll along without tipping. Finally the two disks were made separately from the rod running through their centers. We now have two flat wheels turning on an axle.

After this development, the form of the wheel was greatly improved. It was made larger and stronger when two or three layers of boards were clamped together. The grain of the wood was set at angles which suggested wheel spokes. The wheel was given a heavy hub section to keep it steady as it rolled along.

No one person invented the wheel. Long ages went by before it was perfected. As far as we know, the idea was developed in Asia. The wheel as we know it was in good shape and in common use between five and six thousand years ago.