The first world war tank that saw battle was the Mark I. The British debuted this tank in 1916 at the First Battle of the Somme in France. The Allies needed bigger and better vehicles. The wheels on military trucks were no match for the shell craters, trenches, deep mud and barbed wire that characterized the battlefields of WWI.

Fighting in the trenches made other vehicles, like trucks, useless. WWI ushered in a new era of trench warfare, forcing the Allies to develop weapons suited for this combat style. However, the development of a vehicle resembling the modern tank didn't begin in earnest until World War I. Various inventors like James Cowen of Great Britain developed steam-powered armored vehicles. In 1487, Leonardo da Vinci designed an armored car powered by eight people turning hand cranks. Though vehicles of war have changed drastically since the Bronze Age, the concept of the protected vehicle has fascinated generations of thinkers. By standing on their chariot, a charioteer could shoot arrows or wield a sword from relative safety. The invention of the spoked wheel enabled chariot-based warfare to flourish across multiple civilizations, from the Egyptians to the Hittites.

Humans have used vehicles in war since around the second century BCE, the earliest historians have found evidence of horse-drawn chariots from the Shintashta culture of Eurasia. This complete history of the evolution of tanks provides a detailed look at how tanks became the high-powered war machines they are today. Tank structure and design have changed over time to better meet the need for effective weapons and protection in war. But this design took years to perfect, and the combat vehicles we know today looked much different originally. They are one of the most iconic symbols of modern warfare, providing their crews superior protection from enemies. Tanks are well-known for their characteristic armor, mounted guns and the continuous metal tracks that carry them over rugged terrain.

The evolution of tanks in the military