How the Invention of Rope Gave Us Modern Civilization

How the Invention of Rope Gave Us Modern Civilization

From Odd Lots by Bloomberg

May 30, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

This episode explores the invention of rope and its significant impact on modern civilization through an interview with Tim Queeney.

Rope is easy to take for granted. It seems obvious and straightforward. But of course, it had to be invented. Early humans discovered that by twisting fibers around each other, the resulting structure would be something durable and strong. Without rope, all kinds of things aren't possible, from lifting objects into the air to whaling or modern bridges. So how was it developed and what were the big breakthroughs in its history? On this episode, we speak with Tim Queeney, the author of the recent book Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization . He walks us through the history of the technology, and its ongoing evolution, including how it might one day allow to build an elevator into outer space. Read more: Japan Cablemaker Rout Exposes Cracks in AI Infrastructure Rally Why Huawei’s New Chipmaking Plan Has Investors Buzzing Only Bloomberg.com subscribers can get the Odd Lots newsletter in their inbox each week, plus unlimited access to the site and app. Subscribe at  bloomberg.com/subscriptions/oddlots Subscribe to the Odd Lots Newsletter Join the conversation: discord.gg/oddlots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Guest: Tim Queeney

Topics covered

  • history of technology
  • invention of rope
  • civilization
  • engineering
  • evolution of materials

Keywords

  • rope
  • civilization
  • technology
  • history
  • engineering
  • elevator
  • outer space

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Bloomberg

Books & works: Rope: How a Bundle of Twisted Fibers Became the Backbone of Civilization

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