Welcome back to yet another interesting #Origin Story. So far, you have explored the origin of some popular board games, learnt about the history of famous toys, and came across some beautiful accidental discoveries. This month, we will take you on a long tour across the world via one of the world’s oldest modes of transportation – ships!
Did you know that ships have the oldest and the most uncanny history of all time? Besides being the prime reason for Columbus’ successful voyages, or for the Chinese to introduce a compass for maritime navigation, ships have been an essential constituent of human history. From ancient vessels like hollowed-out logs called dugout canoes and wind-driven ships like the Roman Triremes, to modern-day behemoths like nuclear-powered supercarriers, ships have gone through a major evolution over a period of centuries.
Today, as we rewind some key moments in the history of ships, we will also explore how our forefathers used to cross water bodies, who came up with the idea of shaping a boat, and how boats transformed into huge ships over time.
So get onboard, as we set sailing.
©Giphy
The earliest version of a ‘boat’ was the Pesse Canoe, a three-metre long vessel carved out of a single log. Dating back to around 8,000 BCE, it came much before the Iron Age, or the invention of scripts, or even the rise of kingdoms.
The ones who built the pesse canoe were not just acknowledged for their boat-building skills. They were also known for their strength and survival instincts, which make up for an interesting read when studying the maritime history of that time. For instance, a pesse canoe did not have simple oars. Instead, people used their hands to paddle under their own weight.
Pesse Canoe, one of the earliest version of boats.
You can say that anything that could be lashed (tied) together to float was made into rafts that served as boats. Using only primitive cutting tools, and raw materials like logs of bamboo, bundles of reeds and air-filled animal skins, people back then made several versions of boats in order to traverse small water bodies.
Prehistoric rafts made of logs of bamboo
Historical evidence of similar makeshift ships was also found in Egypt from the 4th millennium BCE. They used these ships for hunting, fishing and travelling across the Nile River.
A fair share of credit goes to them for inventing sails that took manual paddling out of the equation. These sails were made by lashing together and sewing small pieces of wood. With these advanced sailing cargo ships, they could embark on longer journeys and carry a heavy load in their vessels.
An ancient Egyptian papyrus showing a boat on the Nile River. ©Keith Wheatley/Fotolia.com
Around 1550 BCE, the Phoenicians were considered the pioneers of the wooden sailing vessels that were meant to sail to high-sea countries later. They fashioned out galleys in their vessels and had sails and oars to provide the necessary power. These galleys were used to fight as well as trade with neighbours.
Galleys used by the Phoenicians fro maritime trade
Gradually, as the galleys grew larger, specifications were made to add rowers at two levels to move the vessel faster. The Greeks and Romans called these the biremes. Later on, they developed triremes that are galleys with three banks of oars.
Later, around 1000 AD, the Vikings started to build longboats that were large ships consisting of sails and oars. These ships would require up to sixty men whose only job would be to row the ship.
By 800 AD, hulk came into vogue. (No, not the Marvel superhero) Hulks were ships designed by developing countries in Europe and were used primarily as a river or canal boat, with limited potential for coastal cruising.
©Giphy
Interesting, isn’t it? Let’s move on to Asia and see how different vessels were used in Asian waters.
The development of boats and ships happened at pretty much a parallel pace when it came to European and Asian countries. During the Mongol invasions of Japan in 1281, the Japanese used defensive naval techniques to defeat the Mongolians.
Around 1100 AD, the Chinese began to use boats that they called junks! These boats featured a rudder, for steering, in addition to watertight compartments and battens located on the sails that served to make them much stronger. These were mostly used for trade, transportation and for fighting wars.
Chinese junk ships had many uses in ancient Chinese culture, including fishing, transportation, trading, warfare and the exploration of Southeast Asia. Along with its innovative rudder steering system, they were built to withstand rough seas, to be easy to maneuver, and to move quickly.
A lot happened across the world between the 15th and 17th centuries.
Japan introduced the world’s first ironclad called Tekkōsen (meaning iron ships). In China, the Ming dynasty assembled one of the largest and most powerful naval fleets in the world for the diplomatic and power projection voyages of Zheng He.
By the end of the century, Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama, and Italian explorers, Christopher Columbus and John Cabot, had made their revolutionary journeys. Their voyages connected European countries with Asia and introduced new global trade routes.
Vasco da Gama was known for being the first to sail from Europe to India by rounding Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Over the course of two voyages, beginning in 1497 and 1502, da Gama landed and traded in locales along the coast of southern Africa before reaching India on May 20, 1498
The first half of the 18th century saw the French Navy develop a new type of vessel known as a “ship of the line”, featuring seventy-four guns. These ships were 56 metres long and were made of 2,800 oak trees and 40 kilometres of rope. With their capacity to carry a crew of about 800 sailors and soldiers, the ship of the line soon became the backbone of all European fighting fleets.
Along with warships, ships in service of marine fishery and trade were also developed during the Renaissance.
A fast merchant sailing ship of the 19th century, the clipper was generally narrow units length, could carry limited bulk freight, and had a large total sail area. They sailed all over the world, primarily on the trade routes between the United Kingdom and China. But gradually, they fell into commercial disuse. With the introduction of steamships in 1819 with better fuel efficiency and the opening of the Suez and Panama Canals, clippers’ time came to an end.
With the Industrial Revolution, new mechanical methods of propulsion, and the ability to construct ships from metal, triggered an explosion in ship production. The 1990s saw the rise of passenger cruise ships that were used to take people on holidays. These opulent ships featured fine-dining and other luxurious services, and staterooms with finer appointments and other types of recreation. One such ship was the RMS Titanic and the sinking of the Titanic was considered one of the biggest cruise disasters back then.
Ships built for other purposes, such as firefighting, rescue, and research, also began to be made.
The turn of the millennium saw the construction of stealth ships. These ships employ construction techniques with stealth technology to ensure that it is harder to be detected by radar, visual, sonar, and infrared methods.
Throughout history, ships have taken many forms and have undergone several modifications to fulfil their purpose. Today, ships are used for guarding the country’s water boundaries, deep-sea research and luxurious vacations.
Speaking of ships, did you know that a large number of ships pass through the Suez canal in Egypt. Here is why the Suez canal is important.
Have you ever been on a ship? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
Books are Tanaya Goswami’s first love and cheesecakes come a close second. Talking about movies, music, calligraphy, politics, and Elon Musk will get you listed under the friends’ section of her diary. Ever since moving on from her job as an English lecturer, she spends her time at BYJU’S crafting stories filled with emotion and sprinkled with sarcasm. Outside of work, she’s either learning something new (French, most recently!) or is curled up with a book and a cup of coffee. She firmly believes that discovering what you don’t know is the key to knowledge and is constantly working towards improving herself. Drop in a line at storyweavers@byjus.com if you liked her stories, have something nice to say, or if you have compelling ideas to share!
Arya C is a 4th grader who talks about her transition from the US to India and how BYJU`S has helped her at that. She also loves how BYJU`S has made learning a lot more fun.
Meet Sourabh who has a ton to say about his BYJU`S learning experience. His love for quizzes, games and other fun activities are paying off!
V Shriya is a class eight student who has been using BYJU’S for a year now. She shares her experiences with using the app and how it has helped her in improving her academic performance.
Aanvi from class 9 has been with BYJU`S for just 6 months and hear what she has to say about her learning experience with the app.
Comments
Poornima
May 23, 2021
I love the Contribution of Phoenicians and Vikings,
Prehistoric rafts,
The Egyptian ships.?
Gayathri
May 6, 2021
Realy love it great job team byjus
Samiksha Bhargude
April 28, 2021
It is very interesting I like it?thanks BYJU’S for this amazing story
B. Deekshitha
April 9, 2021
Amazing
B. Deekshitha
April 9, 2021
Wow I really learnt about sailing??
Aninnita Gogoi
April 6, 2021
Wow very interesting.
I loved it.
Thanks to BYJUS for giving us fascinating stories.
Deepak
April 3, 2021
I also know about the Vasco da gama he is the British sailer I saw this in my social book
Shashank sharad gangane
March 28, 2021
It is very interesting but it should be in a video form
Arya Sunil
March 18, 2021
Wowww!
Great
Muskaan Kamlesh Setpal
March 17, 2021
BYJU’S app has helped me understand Maths and Science in a funny way .Now, I study from the BYJU’S learning app, they clear my doubts and clear my topics.
Naisha
March 16, 2021
This is informative and useful. I really like byju’s
Anirudh
March 16, 2021
its good but India did not find any thing.thank you its good
Havish
March 14, 2021
Very well explained . I loved it !!!!!!???????
K.A.Shalrvesh
March 13, 2021
Interesting??????????
Lado Rathod
March 5, 2021
I like this and I like to answering to question
Aishik Das
March 5, 2021
Wonderful information BYJUS
Chirag Tushar Patil
March 4, 2021
AMAZING???!!!
Soham
March 2, 2021
Well, the Chinese called their ships junk. But I think that hulk’s body and face came from that “Hulk” ship. Did it showed any features with the marvel hulk! Really fantastic!
V. Nava venkata Devi sri
March 2, 2021
I just enjoyed reading it ??
Nehal Pohane
March 2, 2021
I think that the hulks were so strong! (Pretty much like our Marvel Superhero)???
Adlyn Esther
March 1, 2021
Woooow I love the story ???
Naija tripathi
March 1, 2021
The history of ships was interesting…
I hope BYJUS will post some more cool facts.
waiting for the next post…..
NAIJA TRIPATHI
Anjaneya Dash
March 1, 2021
Thanks for the information
Suryansh
March 1, 2021
Nice thanks please upload byjus tell me why.
Sanvi singh
March 1, 2021
Every product is of China but the boat was pretty amazing!!!?
Eklavya nagar
February 28, 2021
It was a awesome knowledge provided by byju’s and I Thank byju’s for giving a valuable information.
Mitali samant
February 28, 2021
I like motor boat this is most interesting saling boat
Pari Bhardwaj
February 27, 2021
Yeah…I love the Chinese junks.
Prerna Dansena
February 26, 2021
Love it to study from this
Adithya
February 26, 2021
Nice boat⛵ super titanic. Thanks BYJU’S
Advay Gupta
February 25, 2021
Good
Shravasti Rajendra Kamblr
February 25, 2021
Its beautiful.. I love it too much???
Ishika Sharma
February 24, 2021
I really love it
Vishesh Kumar Singh
February 24, 2021
Every Chinese product is junk only, but the nice thing is, they knew that their product is junk???????, thus they named it as junk.
A.P.MONISH INFANTA
February 24, 2021
Nice
Akash Rout
February 23, 2021
I love this ⛵ this is beautiful ship
Sneha
February 22, 2021
Wonderful discover ?
Aayush
February 22, 2021
Thank you. Would love to know about history of aeroplanes and fighter jets particularly in India.
nimisha saikia
February 22, 2021
interesting , but funny a little because the chinese ships were called junk !! but ya little sad because the titanic sank and so many people died , so overall it was really fun to read it
NITESH CHOUHAN
February 21, 2021
thankyou ma’am it was very helpfull for me and i understood the story
Mahathi
February 21, 2021
Very interesting to hear unknown informations about ships⛵?⛴️?
Gurucharan
February 21, 2021
Yeah know ….. But this is very discriptive THANK YOU BYJUS
Vaibhavi and Vedika
February 20, 2021
Amazing ??
Sushmita Kumari
February 20, 2021
It ‘s amazing and shocked to know about that, first thing (ship)of China is still working ,till now but it ‘s weird to hear that junk and hulk are ships!!?
Avinava Nandi
February 20, 2021
This topic is quite interesting ??
Omkar
February 20, 2021
Omg I didn’t know all of this about the boat history . Very informative !!
Sejal dayaram garg
February 20, 2021
BYJU’S app has helped me understand Maths and Science in a fun way. Now, I study from the Bygus app, understand concepts, and then go through
Adnan khan
February 20, 2021
Wow vey informative
Ankita Singh
February 20, 2021
Very important and knowledgeable information is given by you, so I thank you .
THANK YOU BYJU’S
Anand Deshnukh
February 20, 2021
Nice article ??
Prakjoy Kabiraj
February 20, 2021
China is a junk so they invented ” junk”???
Ananthajith Girish
February 20, 2021
Ships’ history is very interesting
Harshita
February 19, 2021
Curios to know what happened to rest 44 lifeboats in titanic!
I love it
Mayank Kumar
February 19, 2021
Nice ????????
Anjali chauhan
February 19, 2021
It’s so beautiful
Shinjan Majumder
February 19, 2021
Super
Dhimahi
February 19, 2021
Interesting
Hope our India would be there instead of China.
☺️☺️
Bhuvana shree. D
February 19, 2021
It is very interesting story I got to something new from this article
Bhuvana shree. D
February 19, 2021
Amazing story????
Naman jha
February 19, 2021
This is very important thank you
K.srinija
February 18, 2021
Byjus is the bridge that connects my imagination to reality
I love byjus.byjus is helping me a lot .tq byjus…………..
Not just the ships. But I call almost every product from china “junk” .
D.harshith
February 18, 2021
Today I leaned about ship and the discovery of ship
Anushka Agrawal
February 18, 2021
Wow Such a nice information ? It increased my knowledge and vocabulary. I am very thankful to the writer ????
Swetha Anil
February 18, 2021
This shows how much can humans evolve things according to their needs . From the land living creatures who wanted to cross water bodies , to those who learnt to swim , to those who developed such machines such as the ships , which can carry those also who can’t swim ……. This is what we truly are !!!!!
Always learning
Ever Creative !!
Thanks for such useful information
Archit
February 18, 2021
Great
SUSHIL KUMAR
February 18, 2021
Wow…… It’s great…. But I already knew about max….. But thank to BYJU’S to sending uss this interesting information…… It’s really a interesting…….!!!! Nice.. ???
Harsikaa
February 18, 2021
every product from China. like: junk, toy, watch and Book ? also .
(I DON’T like China)
Harita Kulkarni
February 18, 2021
Amazing,,?
Rida Hifza
February 18, 2021
no but have been on a boat
I love this topic about ships
they are interesting…..
Shambhavi Kumari
February 18, 2021
It’s really Amazing…
It tells me a lot , But The most interesting for me is knowing about RMS Titanic. Thankyou BYJU’S…
Anika shree
February 18, 2021
First i request you all my friends to download the byju’s app. It is so helpful……i completed the course for one year. And history about the ship is very interesting. I am eagerly waiting for the next.
Femida
February 17, 2021
I love boats ???????
Very interesting ??story
Thank you byju’s
Sarvesh kanade
February 17, 2021
It real story mam?
I understand the story
MAHI KASHYAP
February 17, 2021
Amazing Information ?
Interesting ?
“RMS TITANIC”?️
Ashwin Kumar Maharana
February 17, 2021
I want know more about RMS Titanic
K.A.Shalrvesh
February 17, 2021
It is very useful byjus thankyou
Anish Kuley
February 17, 2021
I liked it ?nice
Archish Patil
February 17, 2021
YaY RmS TiTaNiC!!!!
Siddesh S Belagavi
February 17, 2021
Not just the ships but every thing like Corona virus is also a China “junk????????????
Sonam Pradhan
February 17, 2021
Well …. My father has been to a ship .I also didn’t know that ships have undergone loads of changes.Thanks for sharing so much information about ships.
Ritik
February 17, 2021
How ships in present day work so much better what is use in them?
Why war ships were constructed and by whom?
But the above give information is interesting.
AMRUTA
February 17, 2021
Very nice article (•‿•)
Vaishnavi
February 17, 2021
Very useful.I like it
Shruti Mishra
February 17, 2021
The Chinese ship looks very much like dragon. There national animal
Aniket Patil
February 17, 2021
Amazing information about boat and ships. I enjoyed it
Adrija
February 17, 2021
Amazing information……
I love it ?
Thank you byju’s team…….
Hemalata
February 17, 2021
Well, this was the first junk I call LOVELY!?
Jahnavi
February 17, 2021
Woww I have no words to talk
Pragati
February 17, 2021
It’s amazing ❤❤
PRITI NAIK
February 17, 2021
It was nice information about ships.
Very interesting. Thank you
Mohit Singh Karki
February 17, 2021
Every product from china always junk???????
Vinit
February 17, 2021
Very good byjus i love it
Zobia.
February 17, 2021
This shows how people evolved according to the time.
Krishna Pandey
February 17, 2021
This shows how much can humans evolve things according to their needs . From the land living creatures who wanted to cross water bodies , to those who learnt to swim , to those who developed such machines such as the ships , which can carry those also who can’t swim ……. This is what we truly are !!!!!
Always learning
Ever Creative !!
Thanks for such useful info.
Juhi Sharma
February 17, 2021
Ohh!! I just loved reading the information about ships and was very interesting…. Thank you Byju’s.
Padmapriya.S
February 17, 2021
Historic ! .
Awesome ! ..
Marvelous ! …
Pioneering ! ….
I love it….∆….
Thank you for this Great Fact that is necessary to know.
Thank you Byjus
…… Byjus…..
I love Byjus , the best learning app in the world..
kamya agarwal
February 17, 2021
very nice
Diya Mariam Biju
February 17, 2021
very interesting fact !!!
Sanghita Roy
February 17, 2021
Really this information is very interesting.I am so much happy to know about the invention of ship.?⛵?⛴??????
Prakjoy Kabiraj
February 17, 2021
The story was interesting. So much ships ⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵⛵. And the RMS Titanic?????????????????????
Pragya
February 17, 2021
It’s amazing ?
thanks for this information ☺️
Shrashti Tiwari
February 17, 2021
It’s very nice and interesting thank you for this information
Kirti
February 17, 2021
Nice. Thanks for the information.
HarshVardhan Singh Yadav
February 17, 2021
Every product from china always junk???????
JAI
February 17, 2021
I love it
Theertha
February 17, 2021
Wow..!!!! Amazing??I loved it!❤️??
Mukund
February 16, 2021
I love this?
Raghveer Verma
February 16, 2021
It is full of knowledge.Amazing china junk
Tafseer Anwer
February 16, 2021
very informatic knowledge by her.
Thanks
PRANESH
February 16, 2021
It was very interesting reading this and it was useful for me. I loved reading it. Thank you for giving me more information about the ship
Pranjali
February 16, 2021
Nice information ?
Joy syndavi
February 16, 2021
I just enjoyed reading it??
Kanak
February 16, 2021
Interesting
Tholkappian
February 16, 2021
Love it ?
Deepanshu Nagpal
February 16, 2021
Very very nice
Divyasree
February 16, 2021
Wow! This is an amazing thing we have learnt today.
Krishna periwal
February 16, 2021
Great thing to know
JANNAT
February 16, 2021
????????
Khushank singh
February 16, 2021
I love it
Thank u for byju’s team
Bhushan Yogesh rathod
February 16, 2021
Nice story
Darshna pandey
February 16, 2021
This is so interesting !!!!!!
Vuppu Abhishek Sri vardhan
February 16, 2021
This gives a lots of information
Prithika
February 16, 2021
I call very beautiful
Prithika
February 16, 2021
Nice It’s very amazing…?
HB ROYAL
February 16, 2021
THIS IS A BEST STORY. BOT ARE VERY USE
Thanks byjus
February 16, 2021
Thanks byjus for this wonderful information
Aashvi
February 16, 2021
Nice this is very amazing ??
Pvs vinay
February 16, 2021
I was nice I want some more facts like this I love facts
Ayush Solanki
February 16, 2021
I really loved ? it.
Abhishek Kumar Dutta
February 16, 2021
Really….. A wonderful story, and lot to know
Nishant Raj
February 16, 2021
Really it’s very interesting about the invention of boat.
Harshit
February 16, 2021
I love to read it and want to have a travel through the ” junk”.??
Nupur
February 16, 2021
Super
Rajkumar Kalsangrha
February 16, 2021
Nice
Ibrahim.M
February 16, 2021
Interesting.
Junk and hulk are actually a ship!!???
Thank you byjus…and do keep sending us more great stuff like this.
Debdatta
February 16, 2021
Wow! It’s amazing. I really love this.
Saleha jamal
February 16, 2021
Use ful I liked it
M.Sahithi Ratna Reddy
February 16, 2021
I love it
Rachana
February 16, 2021
I
Ritu Gupta
February 16, 2021
Loving it ???
Aqsa
February 16, 2021
Thanks a lot for information.
Muktai Patil
February 16, 2021
This story is very amazing and informative
Aditya Kale
February 16, 2021
??????? Chinese Junks
Aditya Madhu Prasad
February 16, 2021
Never new that earlier people called ship hulk!!!
?????????
Akshad sachin jain
February 16, 2021
This is very useful
Chaitanya Satsangi
February 16, 2021
This is very informative
Yasmin Bano
February 16, 2021
Wow…… It’s great…. But I already knew about max….. But thank to BYJU’S to sending uss this interesting information…… It’s really a interesting…….!!!! Nice.. ???
Satyam Kumar Baghel
February 16, 2021
Once upon a time a Titan ship go sea and drawing into the sea on 10 April 1912
shagun
February 16, 2021
curios to know what happened to rest 44 lifeboats in titanic!
Satyam Kumar Baghel
February 16, 2021
What is this not understand this topic
Abdur Rahman
February 16, 2021
I love this ?
Vanshit
February 16, 2021
Not just the ships. But I call almost every product from China “junk “
Adbutha
February 16, 2021
I love it!!!
Poorvaja Vimal
February 16, 2021
Nice
Meriya Elsa Minson
February 16, 2021
Nice I love this boat ⛵⛵?
Nehal Pohane
January 27, 2021
Well,this was the first junk I call BEAUTIFUL!?
Swastika
January 22, 2021
Not just the ships, but I call almost every product from China “junk”!
⛵???