Why couldn't the Native Americans invent the wheel?
367917
Wheels are useless without pack animals to pull carts.  No such animals existed in America (except llamas in the Andes -- more on that in a sec.).  So without easily domesticated animals -- buffalo don't count because they resist domestication -- the wheel would have been a pretty useless invention.  Ironically, the Mayans did make childrens' toys with wheels.  But since the wheels would have been useless for actual work without pack animals, they never expanded upon the design.\n\nAs for the Incas and their llamas, maybe they would have invented the wheel, provided the Spaniards had not arrived and given them all smallpox.  :)  Or it may be that the mountainous environment of Peru was ill-suited to wheeled carts.
982565
It can't be done with an unmarked straightedge and a compass, but it can be done with a *marked* straightedge and a compass. The latter was doen by Archimedes about 200BC.
529865
We would still be living like apes. I say this because in affect you could put making of basic flint tools down as a form of mechanical or engineering skills. The production of tools led on to everything we have today as they were needed to make hunting easier, to build shelter and to farm even on a small scale. As soon as these things had become something that could be done easily (or easier) the human brain had more time to think and expand in the way that it has. This is something that is still evident today, as we see kids these days doing things that we cannot even imagine doing at there age. This is because we had chores to do whereas these kids have grown up with dishwashers, on line shopping and many more such things that will free up time for them to expand in many other directions. I don't know about you but I think it's truly amazing that my nine year old brother can create his own web site called I hate Reece (my youngest brother). At nine years old I could only just about get my Commodore 64 to work.
1040109
A brilliant Idea  is made from it's predessor - - the  person that invented the wheel probably took it from nature watching squirells rolling their nuts.  Art is just another layer to the person before him but with a twist.  what a new idea is to take from the old and make it apear in a new format . Look at yahoo answers a really old Idea but with a mordern twist.
377090
Didn't they have irrigation?  Not sure about other technology they might have had ...
550809
Howdy! :)\n\nFirstly, I'd like to say that I've never heard of the man-made stones "theory" before -- & I've read a good bit on the subject, as well as ancient history in general, as well as watched & listened to many TV & radio documentaries that dealt with the subject, as well as ancient history in general!\n\nActually, the ancient Egyptians employed different kinds of stone in building at least the Great Pyramid. They used limestone & 2 varieties of granite. There are several varieties, quite a few being the most durable on the planet. Rose stones & blue stones, that were used to build Stonehenge, are 2 of the varieties that come to mind.\n\nAs for method, a number have been suggested, none of which involving the wheel, because archaeologists & scientists etc. keep insisting that the ancient Egyptians didn't have them, have access to them or separately invent them. But I beg to differ. There was a long history of interaction between the various peoples of the region & the ancient Egyptians, even if they didn't separately invent the wheel, did have access to & could have easily bought or traded them from the other cultures with wheels that they regularly interacted with.\n\nWhat I'm pretty certain of is that they used gravity as an easy & reliable means of power. Meaning: imagine a portable forklift. If you're not familiar with this object, it's basically a rectangle of metal, with a tray or sheet of metal at the bottom attached to two wheels. What I'm convinced they did is that they used something similar: basically 2 boards of wood (they did have tables & so did have boards of wood & knew how to cut them from the tree or at least buy them!) one of which attached to 2 wheels (or at least a log) with one of them "sitting"/attached to the bottom one with the wheels vertically & at an angle. This one is further connected with X # of sticks/logs or a triangular board of wood angled down, this being attached to a wheel (or at least a log). When the stone is manoeuvred onto the bottom board, gravity pulls it down through the angled sticks/logs (had they not been there, gravity would've simply pulled the stone to the ground, making the board with the wheels upright, albeit at an angle, & the one the stone was leaning on on the ground!). Gravity is such a great force, it is more force than is necessary to move the stone. So there is plenty of momentum. & even if the sand provided a great amount of friction (regardless whether it was dry or wet), gravity, combined with human labour is more than enough to manoeuvre the stones from point A to point B.\n\nCreating ramps & using sand to support the stones is quite sufficient & effective to manoeuvre the stones to higher levels.\n\nEven if the scientific community could conclusively prove, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that the ancient Egyptians did not have wheels or access to them, the website I provided demonstrates an alternative means to manoeuvring large & heavy stones using building principles that are as old as building itself -- even if earlier in history people didn't understand & couldn't quantify & explain these principles & why they worked. The important thing was & still is that the principles work & that they are effective.\n\nWhat you will want to reflect on is this:\n\nThe ancient Egyptians had very simple tools, such as a level (used to determine the angle of a wall & whether or not it is straight) & thread or rope. & yet, they achieved unbelievable accuracy. In fact, & I wish I could remember where I read this or the temple in question, I once read of a temple in the Nile river. It was unique because it was built in such a way so as to glorify 2 events in the pharaoh's life: his birthdate & that of his son. The temple's unique qualities were that on those 2 days, at sunrise & sunset, the sun lined up with the pharaoh's throne & illuminate it in such a way as to give the illusion that he&#39
1062813
so how did you come to this conclusion. are you talking about native americans?
108553
why are sctions like these so neglected...\nDID YOU KNOW... that an African American man named Lewis Latimer who worked with Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell drew up the plans for Bell's first telephone?\nIf you did, you are probably among the fortunate few who possess such knowledge. It is a fact that has not been well publicized. There are countless inventions by African Americans and they cover everything from food processing to electrical technology. The inventions by African Americans point out the contributions that African Americans have made to the comfort and advancement of mankind. The following are some inventions by African Americans.\nAmerica's Hi-Tech "Invisible Man"\n\nPatricia E. Bath was the inventor of the laser eye surgery technique now widely used. In fact, she is the only African American woman doctor to ever receive a medical patent.\n\nFrederick Jones invented the air conditioner unit and the automatic refrigeration system for long-haul trucks.\n\nJ.W. Smith invented the lawn sprinkler.\n\nSarah Boone invented the ironing board.\n\nJan Matzeliger invented the shoe-lasting machine (for attaching \nsoles on shoes in Lynn, Mass. His invention revolutionized the shoe industry.\n\nLydia Newman invented the hair brush.\n\nL.P. Ray invented the dust mop.\n\nThomas W. Stewart invented the mop.\n\nJohn Love invented the pencil sharpener.\n\nLee Burridge invented the typewriter.\n\nJohn Burr invented the lawnmower.\n\nGarrett Morgan invented the traffic light.\n\nJohn Standard took out a patent on an improved refrigerating device... the refrigerator.\n\nAlice Parker invented the heating furnace.\n\nAlexander Miles invented major improvements to the elevator.\n\nDr. Charles Drew invented a way to store blood and then created the first blood bank.\n\nM.A. Cherry invented the tricycle.\n\nMajor Robert H. Lawrence was the first African American astronaut chosen \nto make a journey to the moon. He had a doctoral degree in Chemistry \nand would have made one of the first lunar trips, but he died in the crash \nof an Air Force F-104 jet at Edwards Air Force Base, CA in 1968.\nErnest E. Just was the first biologist to receive the Springarn Medal. He received distinction in his field through his research on egg fertilization and the functioning of cells.\n\nHarold D. West was the first person to synthesize the amino acid threonine in the laboratory.\n\nDr. William Hinton devised a test to determine syphilis.\n\nAndrew Bryan was the first African American pastor, ordained in 1788.\n\nConstance B. Motley was the first African American female appointed as a Federal Judge in 1966.\n\nBarbara Watson Federal was the first African American and first female to serve as Asst. Secretary of State.\nShe held her post in 1974.\n\nBernice Gaines Hughes was the first African American female to obtain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Armed Forces.\n\nAlonzo Pietro (known as "il Negro") was one of Columbus' navigators on his first voyage to America in 1492.\n\nalso look into:\n\nMore Inventors\n\n1st Lt Stephen Swails \nA. Philip Randolph\nAdam Clayton  Powell Jr.\nAhmed Baba\nAhmos\nAlaine Locke\nAlexander Dumas\nAlexander Pushkin\nArthur A. Schomburg\nBenjamin Oliver Davis, Jr.\nBishop Richard Allen\nBlack Reconstruction Congress\nCapt. Erwin B. Lawrence\nCarol Mosley\nCharles Clinton Spaulding\nClarence Harris\nCleopatra\nColin L. Powell\nColonel Charles A. Young\nColonel Guion Bluford\nDaniel Hale Williams\nDr. Benjamin S. Carson\nDr. Carter G. Woodson\nDr. George R. Carruthers\nDr. Katherine G. Johnson\nDr. Martin Luther King, Jr.\nDr. W. E. B. Dubois\nDuke Ellington\nElijah McCoy\nEthel Waters\nFanny M. Coppin\nFrancois Louveture\nFredrick Douglas\nGranville T. Woods\nGwendolyn Brooks\nHarriet R. Tubman\nIda B. Wells\nIMHOTEP\nJackie Robinson\nJames Baldwin\nJames Forten\nJames Weldon Johnson\nJesse Owens\nJohn B. Russwurm\nJohn H. Johnson\nJohn Henry Lawson\nJoseph Barrow Louis\nJosep
651270
depends on the tribe. most native american tribes have no word for it. they have no words for anything that suggest inequality, as it was a concept that was alien to them.
150909
Since Superman is, alas, a fictional character, and since this mode of transportation has been postulated in science fiction, I see no reason why he cannot do it.  However, this remains an open question as to whether mere humans can ever do that at some point in the "future."\n\nIf so, then our past and present may be peppered with people from the future.  Remember "Chariots of the Gods?"  In fact, much of what we call miracles or magic may be the works of people from our future.  Remember "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court?"
568254
1. Build a really big sail\n2. Magnets (think of the magnetic trains that Japan uses, however the whole roadway would have to be made with magnets to pull this off)\n3. Using Pascal's principal of compressed liquids you can probably make a peddle system (Brakes and most powered steering systems use Pascal's principal, source 1)
968943
Many reasons:\n\n1. Too heavy (numero uno!)\n2. ZERO wet grip\n3. Would fly apart with the rotational inertia\n4. Go ahead- YOU try mounting them.\n5. A $50 pneumatic tire protects your $500 wheel from destruction.\n6. Horrible ride quality.\n\nSolid tires were tried over 120 years ago when the bicycle was invented.  A Frenchman named Dunlop created an air-filled tire, and it was SO MUCH better than a solid one that nobody in their right mind would ride anything else.
285944
This is sort of like the chicken and/or the egg. But The principle (undoubtedly) was discovered, but the implementation of the object was invented - ie it is the combination of axle, hub, and bearing that is the invention, allowing a wheel to be attached to a cart or similar, to make it useful.\n\n The idea of perpetual motion is nothing new. It was discovered and proven in the beginning of the 18 century. The invention was a working system using the gravity force to power the wheel. This made the inventor famous in history. \n\nThus, in summation, I firmly believe that the wheel was discovered just by observing nature but the axle, etc was invented.
198964
oh great I knew one day some one would ask this ? lol... well i a wood chuck cant chuck would so if a wood chuck could chuck wood it cant it is impossible lol
875849
Lots of slave labor, donkey carts, ropes, rolling logs, mules, wagons...the wheel was invented during the building of the time of the Pyramids.
1180307
There are a couple of flaws in your question: 1) The federal government doesn't collect property taxes, that is done at the local level to fund local projects.  2) The native Americans never purchased the land either, so there is no deed of ownership.  While many injustices were committed against the native American population several hundred years ago, simply giving back all the land would not undo those injustices...and actually would cause more innocent people to suffer if such an arrangement was made.
979765
I know it could be an invention in some way(s), because the American government was the first ones to say there was a UFO. Majority Americans were the ones to created the word or idea of aliens, except for the "Dropa stones" in China/Asia, which humming discs tell a story of outside life crashing a spaceship on planet earth long millenia ago. Interesting... hmmmm.