Take the story of the Roman chariot for instance. In an effort to standardize chariot manufacturing, the ancient romans supposedly decided to make all of their chariots the same way, with roughly the same wheelbase – wide enough to accommodate the two horses that would pull it. It is said that this standard wheelbase was later used in wagon construction, which in turn was later used to determine the width of railroads. Some historians say this standard wheel gauge predates even the Romans, as ancient Bronze Age wheel gauges were quite similar in width (about 4feet 8 inches).
Conventional wisdom says these stories are mere legend, and that the width of train tracks (standard gauge) originates with the “Father of Railways,” George Stephenson, a highly talented civil and mechanical engineer from Victorian England. “Stephenson’s Gauge,” which is 4 feet 8.5 inches, is accepted as the world’s standard gauge, and is used in approximately 60% of the world’s railway lines.
The point is, whoever established the standard gauge, be it George Stephenson or an unknown ancient craftsman thousands of years ago, did so without every imagining the possible impact their innovation would have on society. As it would happen, NASA transports all of their rocket boosters by train, and for that reason they are designed with the standard width of railroad tracks in mind. So in essence, the person(s) who established the standard gauge, inadvertently altered aerospace designs hundreds (if not thousands) of years later.
To be sure, the impact one technology has on another can be profound, but can also take a great deal of time to fully manifest. While predicting what technologies will have a profound impact is a tremendously difficult task, the important thing is to keep your mind open to new things – because you never know where the next game-changing innovation will come from. The question is will today’s technology, namely mobile computing and social media, have an impact on the world that reverberates for hundreds of years? Only time will tell.
