Digging Behind the Facade: Cars

An invention is a discovery of new products, a new system, a new benefit or new use for a material that’s already been made, or any advancement of any of these. Inventors invent things because they have a variety of reasons to. They are motivated by their curiosity, interest, creativity and imagination, a desire to be known, and a desire to earn money from their inventions. Some inventions that have had changed the world are the light bulb, the computer, the telephone, and for the means of transportation, the car. 

Before, horses, oxen and donkeys became the means of transportation of people. The travois, a sled that was used to carry goods that had two poles dragged by a dog or horse, was developed. There was also a development on animal-drawn wheeled vehicles, which we still have, until now. Roads were constructed for better transportation. In the 17^th century, Nikolaus Otto and Etienne Lenoir invented the internal combustion engine or what we call the “car engine”. In 1768, Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built the first auto-mobile. Today, horse-drawn vehicles, bicycles, auto-mobiles, motor cars and trucks, and electric vehicles have developed. 

Because the car engine was invented and cars were built, it made people’s lives easier and convenient. In regions without railroads, the automobile made regular medium-distance travel a lot more accessible and affordable. Because cars can be used anytime and they didn’t require rest, they had more speed than horse-drawn vehicles. Over time, the car has developed beyond being a means of transportation or a possession that we are proud of and into a matter of interest and something that is treated as a hobby among many people in the world, who appreciate cars for their craftsmanship or art, their performance and conduct, as well as the boundless arrays of activities one can take part in with his or her car, although, there are a lot of bad effects of cars to the society and these are: Soil pollution. Exposure to excessive mercury in soil may damage the kidney or liver; Air pollution. It can cause heart disease and lung cancer. Premature death and lower life expectancy have been relatively linked with short- and long-term exposures; Car accidents increase death rates; Water pollution. It kills life that depends on these water bodies and it also breaks apart the natural food chain; Traffic; and climate change. Severe heat waves could be life threatening.

Automobiles have become such a big part of our lives that we rarely stop to consider in how many ways they affect and mold the world in which we live in.

-Troy Wanne_ID1