Table of Contents
Presenting the History in 50 Series Phillip Hoose ix
Introduction: Vehicles and Travel xiii
1 Shoes: Feet First! 1
Walking as Sport 4
Moon Boots 4
2 Litters: Moving Those Who Cannot Walk 5
3 Dugouts: The First Boats 9
4 Reed Rafts and Boats: As Old as Dugouts? 13
Papyrus 15
5 Planked Wooden Boats: The Shipbuilder's Art 17
Mortise-and-Tenon Construction 20
Naval Warfare 20
6 Sailors: Harnessing Wind for at Least 6,000 Years 21
Sails for Land Vehicles 24
Sailing in Space 24
7 Skis: Speed on the Slopes 25
8 Horses: To Ride Like the Wind 29
A Horse Extinction 31
The Charge of the Elephants 32
9 The Wheel: Keep on Rolling 33
Evolution of the Wheel 36
10 Chariots: Shock and Awe on the Battlefield 37
Chariots as High Tech 40
11 Aerial Lifts: In Use More than 2,000 Years 41
Record Breakers 43
12 Camels: Ships of the Desert 45
The Silk Road 47
Camels in America and Australia 48
13 Dogsleds: Driving Through the Snow 49
The Iditarod 52
14 Chinese Treasure Ships: Supertankers of the Ancient World 53
How Far Did the Chinese Travel? 55
Erasing History 56
15 Wheelchairs: Mobility for All 57
Wheelchairs for Everyone 60
16 Horse-Drawn Carriages: Traveling in Style 61
The Royal Carriages 64
17 Yachts: Boating for Pleasure 65
The America's Cap 68
18 Taxicabs: Wheels for Hire 69
Ride-Sharing 72
19 Submarines: To the Bottom of the Sea 73
Personal Submarines 76
20 Stagecoaches: Three Centuries of Service 77
21 Buses: Another of Pascal's Great Ideas 81
Jeepneys and Chicken Buses 84
The Yellow School Bus 84
22 Automobiles: "Get a Horse!" 85
Henry Ford and Mass Production 88
The Automobile and Demand for Oil 89
23 Hot Air Balloons: Up, Up, and Away 91
Nazca Lines 94
24 Steamships: Ocean Travel on a Schedule 95
Working Paddle Wheelers 98
25 Steam Locomotives: All Aboard! 99
How the U.S. Got Its Time Zones 101
The Woman in the White Dress 102
26 Amphibious Vehicles: One if by Land, Two if by Sea? 103
Around the World in 10 Years 106
27 Covered Wagons: On the Oregon Trail 107
Busting the Myths About Covered Wagons 109
Newest Isn't Always Best 110
28 Ocean Liners: Huddled Masses in Steerage 111
29 Dirigibles: Self-Propelled Gas Bags 115
The Hindenburg Disaster 118
30 Elevators: An Up and Down Business 119
The Elevator's Impact 122
31 Subways: Ticket to the Underworld 123
Subways in Wartime 126
Unearthing History 127
Subways in Popular Culture 127
32 Bicycles: Pedal Power 128
Which Bike for You? 131
Bicycle Racing 132
Multimodal Transportation 132
33 Motorcycles: Bicycles on Steroids 133
The Biker Image 136
34 Rickshaws: Human-Powered Vehicles 137
Rickshaw Pullers on Parade 140
35 Cruise Ships: Floating Cities 141
Educational and Theme Cruises 144
36 Airplanes: The Sky's the Limit 145
How High Did They Fly? 148
History of Flight Attendants 149
Airplanes at War 150
37 Snowmobiles: Crossing Winter Landscapes 151
Environmental Impacts of Snowmobile Use 154
38 Recreational Vehicles (RVs): Cruising on Land 155
39 Helicopters: Da Vinci's Dream 159
Proving da Vinci's Designs 161
Plucking a Man from a Crane 162
40 Pedicabs: A Cycle-Rickshaw by Any Other Name Would Ride as Sweet 163
Rio de Janeiro or Bust! 166
41 Skateboards: Have Board, Will Travel 167
Go Skateboarding Day 169
Moving for Fun 170
42 Hovercraft: Riding a Cushion of Air 171
43 Electric and Hybrid Automobiles: So Nineteenth Century 175
How Green Are Electric and Hybrid Vehicles? 178
Silence Isn't Always Golden 178
44 All-Terrain Vehicles: A Ticket to the Back Country 179
Environmental Impact of ATVs 182
45 Manned Spacecraft: Out of This World 183
Did the U.S. Really Land on the Moon? 187
Unmanned Exploration with Remotely Operated Vehicles 188
46 Jetpacks: Strap One On and Fly 189
The Flying Wing 191
Hydro-Jetpacks 192
47 Bullet Trains: High-Speed Rail 193
Mag-lev: Faster than a Speeding Bullet Train 196
48 Supersonic Airliners: Breaking the Sound Barrier 197
Mach 200
49 Space Shuttles: Into Space and Back Again 201
Commercial Space Flight 205
50 The Segway: Pedestrians on Wheels 207
What's in a Name? 210
Conclusion 211
Glossary 215
Sources and Additional Resources 219
Endnotes 244
Index 264
Author and Series Presenter Biographies 288