The archaeologists found the oldest artifact of wheel in Mesopotamia which dated back to 3,500BC. This period is around the end of the Neolithic period and the beginning of the Bronze Age. People at this time could cultivate and harvest, they raised animals for meat and for labor force on the farm, and some lived in the hierarchy.
The scholars believed that the idea of the wheel came from nature just like many other inventions. The closest relation might be the Dung Beetles that transport their eggs into a ball. Another relation we can see in nature is the tumbleweed.
But the wheel is nothing without the axle. For one system to work, the wheel must rotate freely around the axle. To make this possible, the creators had to come up with the idea to fit the axle exactly in the center of the wheel. Accordingly, no failure in continuity of motion can happen. The axle is also supposed to form the angle of 90 degree with the surface and as thin as possible but still strong enough to support.
Though the most ancient archaeological item of wheel was found in Mesopotamia. The earliest image of carts with wheels were found in Poland and in Eurasia. The actual original homeland of the wheel is still a mystery to the humanity.
The archaeologists believed that the first wheel artifact in Poland was used to make pottery.
As time progresses, wheel dominates many parts in our life. People use wheel for the small detail in the clock. Small as it might be, it helps the clock to run. Or people use wheel for transportation, irrigation, milling, etc. This shows how important the wheel is to our life.
The wheel of fortune is not only American TV game show. Many countries across the globe has the similar game show.
In fact, wheel of fortune is originally the medieval philosophy meaning the unpredictable nature of Fate. The wheel of fortune has another name “Rota Fortunae”. Because the wheel belongs to goddess Fortuna who spins the wheel randomly. And because of this, one might gain the windfalls while the other might suffer a big loss.
In the medieval times, wheel must have been the nightmare to any lawbreaker. Because the authority would punish them by strapping them on the spiked wheel. And then they would let the wheel rotate across the ground. Another way to punish enemies with wheel was to use the heavy wheel cross the bones of the enemies.
Obviously, wheel has become a much better tool in the modern age.
Fifth wheeling is a term referring the spare person in a group. It is the inspiration for the third wheel who is the spare person in a group of three, especially in the couple.
If a carriage has the fifth wheel, it will be difficult to run. Most of the time, people find it useless and even redundant. So they decide to rid of it. And there we have the term “fifth wheeling”.