Tracing the history and evolution of the wheelchair goes back many thousands of years because before the wheelchair was able to become a twinkle in anyone’s imagination, both the 'wheel' and the 'chair' had to first be invented. After the wheel was invented, the chair was invented a few thousands years later. Finally, a few hundred years ago, the two were put together to form the 'wheelchair.'

The Wheel

The wheel can be considered one of man’s greatest inventions and without it, humans would not have been able to evolve the world into the technically advanced place it is today. Even though nobody knows where or when the very first wheel was invented, it is known that the wheel was discovered thousands and thousands of years ago.

The invention of the wheel allowed humans to move things from one place to another with much greater ease. It also allowed them to carry food and water, which allowed them to live in areas not as close to a water source. This provided great freedom to ancient civilizations because prior to the wheel they were pretty much slaves to their source of water.

When the wheel evolved from the 'wheel itself' to a set of wheels connected by an axel, the whole world began to change. Moving objects, food, animals, and even people became a reality and civilizations were able to migrate to new locations and use their new 'machine' to modernize their lives.

The Chair

The chair is not the same type of invention as the wheel because a chair is more of a comfort item and a wheel is more of a necessary item. However, the chair’s creation certainly made the lives of ancient people more civilized.

The oldest chairs known to man are a few thousand years old. They were not an overly popular item because it was not always practical for people to own furniture – even the most archaic type – because they migrated often and could not carry permanent items with them.

Over time, the notion of owning large items, such as chairs, became a reality. Eventually, they evolved from being hard wooden benches to more comfortable pieces of furniture. A few hundred years ago, furniture makers began making upholstered items.

The Wheelchair

The wheel has been around for about 55,000 years. The chair has been around for a few thousand years. However, the combination of the two… the wheelchair… has been around only a few hundred years.

Evidence of the oldest wheelchair implies that the first variation was invented in the 1500s, and became more popular in the mid-1600s. A select few paintings from these decades show that some people used the most primitive form of the wheelchair on a regular basis.

The oldest of wheelchairs were merely regular chairs with added wheels and some sort of tray positioned in front. Operating them was difficult because they were heavy and hard to steer. However, in the 1800s, many inventers attempted to create a lighter wheelchair that was easier to maneuver. As a result, large wheels were added to the back of the chairs, and small wheels to the front. This made the chair much more stable and easy to use.

Finally, in the 1900s, rubber tires replaced wood ones, and spokes were added. This began the trend towards today’s mechanical chairs that are foldable, light weight and easy to transport.

With the invention of the electric motor, the modern day wheelchair has become a reality. With its invention, the electric wheelchair has provided thousands of disabled individuals the ability to move around with out depending on others for their freedom.