Early automobiles were steered using a tiller instead of a circular wheel, meaning the first drivers navigated roads by yanking a wooden stick back and forth like they were commanding a very angry boat.

A closer look

Early automobiles were steered using a tiller instead of a circular wheel, meaning the first drivers navigated roads by yanking a wooden stick back and forth like they were commanding a very angry boat. Alexander Winton is widely credited with introducing the steering wheel to automobiles in 1898, completely revolutionizing how humans crashed into trees. Before the wheel came along, driving required the upper body strength of a lumberjack and the fine motor skills of a caffeinated squirrel, as hitting a single pothole could jerk the tiller out of your hands and send you violently into a ditch. Switching to a circular wheel allowed drivers to use continuous motion and mechanical leverage, paving the way for power steering and the modern luxury of steering a two-ton death machine with your knees while eating a greasy fast-food hamburger. It is quite a leap from wrestling a wooden lever on a dirt path to casually texting on the highway while a microchip tries to keep you in your lane