Transportation History

    Research output: Chapter in book/report/conference proceedingEntry for encyclopedia/dictionarypeer-review

    Abstract

    Transportation history focuses on technological innovations and their impacts on mobility, the economy, and society. Three key transport innovations took place before the Industrial Revolution: the mastery of wind power in river and maritime transport; the employment of animal power for land transport; and the invention of the wheel. The increase of speed and capacity of passenger and freight transport not only influenced trade and production patterns, but was also crucial to immigration and empire building. The Industrial Revolution brought steam power, the internal combustion engine, and electric power as technologies supporting the development of transportation systems such as maritime shipping, railways, highways, and then air transportation.
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationThe International Encyclopedia of Geography
    Subtitle of host publicationPeople, the Earth, Environment, and Technology
    EditorsDouglas Richardson, Noel Castree, Michael F. Goodchild, Audrey Kobayashi, Weidong Liu, Richard A. Marston
    PublisherJohn Wiley & Sons Ltd.
    Number of pages7
    ISBN (Electronic)9781118786352
    ISBN (Print)9780470659632
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 6 Mar 2017

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Transportation History'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this