Long before the snowmobile, our ancestors found an environmentally friendly way to get around in the snow-the sled. In fact, the sledge(and variation on its themes) was key in many areas of ancient life. The Invention of Sledge
The Invention of Sledge
A sled is a vehicle that moves by sliding across the ground. Sleighs are horse-drawn vehicle passenger seating. Sledges tend to be large vehicle consisting of a wooden base mounted on smooth runners useful for transporting large objects.
Evidence of wooden sledge usage reaches back to 7000 B.C.E. to peoples living in the Arctic regions of northern Europe. Initially, sledges may have been pulled by humans but with time dogs and oxen were commandeered to take the strain.
Inuits have used dog-sleds since pre-Columbian times. Sledge use has extended to hotter climates too, including the dry, dusty lands of Mesopotamia.
Exactly where and when sledge was development is unknown but it is likely that it was developed independently by different communities in the world human-pulled sledges were key in man’s early expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic.
In the twentieth century dog, teams of Huskies were used to tow sleds on expeditions. More recently kites have been resource need be carried on the sledges.
In today world the sledge is used in sport and leisure. A small sled with rounded edges at the front can provide hours of fun in the form of a toboggan.
Bobsledding is a sport featuring in the winter Olympics where teams of competitors race down tracks in a specially streamlined vehicle.
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