Dr Wan Hu postulates that self storage was the first commercial activity undertaken by mankind. Here's a review of some of history's great self storage projects.
The cave art discovered in cave is France, Spain and Germany is now thought to have been an inventory of the animals stored in each cave by early hunters. The paintings, undertaken with only the most rudimentary tools, furnish valuable insights into early commercial activity. Nearly 350 caves with such art have been discovered suggesting an operation of some scale and sophistication. It is not known what the typical storage charges were; but the costs of storing a hairy mammoth would have been beyond the average caveman.
Perhaps the most spectacular storage building is The Great Pyramid of Giza. Built with 2.3 million limestone blocks, it's over 50 stories high. It took 3800 years before the 160m spire of Lincoln cathedral surpassed the pyramid's height. Incredibly there are only 3 chambers in this vast structure. Builders of modern storage structures would be horrified with this poor utilisation of space. Concerns would also be expressed about security since the items in all 3 chambers were stolen.
Noah was an early storage innovator, offering a solution to poor weather conditions. His business foresight and acumen is recorded in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6 to 9). Just after the completion of his Ark, a bad storm threatened his enterprise, but he was able to save his family and plenty of animals. Doubtless his reputation and future success were enhanced by this experience.
An army of terracotta soldiers would present a challenge to some storage companies. The army included strong warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Everyone you need for some conquests in the afterlife. For The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, this was an easy storage task. Aided by 7,000 motivated staff he stored them in no time. And they remained undiscovered until 1974. An impressive security performance.
World War II gave the Luftwaffe their opportunity to shine in the storage of allied prisoners-of-war. They believed their purpose built state-of-the-art facility was escape proof. Foolishly the put all their bad eggs in one basket; most prisoners had impressive escape records. How could a mere camp contain Dickie Attenborough, Steve McQueen and Ives. Throw in Charles Bronson, who could dig a tunnel before lunch and you're just asking for trouble. And that's just what they got. A mass escape which upset Adolf terribly. Storage is all about security and this camp just didn't deliver.
The United States Bullion Depository, commonly called Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building located near Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is used to store a large portion of United States official gold reserves and, occasionally, other precious items belonging or entrusted to the federal government. Now that makes it a pretty valuable self storage operation. Who else can claim to store $134 billion worth of goods? Well Jeremy Irons in Die Hard with a Vengeance knew that he'd make more by targeting the Federal Reserve in New York.
The British Houses of Parliament is currently used as a storage facility for politicians. Sadly the occupants of this facility are free to come and go as they please. Each Honorable Member was elected to serve their constituents and give moral leadership to the nation. Instead many appear to have feathered their own nests. Indeed they seem to have several nests all of which require lavish feathers funded by the British Taxpayer. This self storage location is in need of a deep clean and fumigation but will hopefully shine again as the mother of all storage centres.
This brief history illustrates the rich heritage of self storage. One in ten U.S. households now rent a self storage unit. Theres enough self storage space to completely cover 3 Manhattan Islands. And it all started in a cave in France.
The cave art discovered in cave is France, Spain and Germany is now thought to have been an inventory of the animals stored in each cave by early hunters. The paintings, undertaken with only the most rudimentary tools, furnish valuable insights into early commercial activity. Nearly 350 caves with such art have been discovered suggesting an operation of some scale and sophistication. It is not known what the typical storage charges were; but the costs of storing a hairy mammoth would have been beyond the average caveman.
Perhaps the most spectacular storage building is The Great Pyramid of Giza. Built with 2.3 million limestone blocks, it's over 50 stories high. It took 3800 years before the 160m spire of Lincoln cathedral surpassed the pyramid's height. Incredibly there are only 3 chambers in this vast structure. Builders of modern storage structures would be horrified with this poor utilisation of space. Concerns would also be expressed about security since the items in all 3 chambers were stolen.
Noah was an early storage innovator, offering a solution to poor weather conditions. His business foresight and acumen is recorded in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6 to 9). Just after the completion of his Ark, a bad storm threatened his enterprise, but he was able to save his family and plenty of animals. Doubtless his reputation and future success were enhanced by this experience.
An army of terracotta soldiers would present a challenge to some storage companies. The army included strong warriors, chariots, horses, officials, acrobats, strongmen, and musicians. Everyone you need for some conquests in the afterlife. For The First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang, this was an easy storage task. Aided by 7,000 motivated staff he stored them in no time. And they remained undiscovered until 1974. An impressive security performance.
World War II gave the Luftwaffe their opportunity to shine in the storage of allied prisoners-of-war. They believed their purpose built state-of-the-art facility was escape proof. Foolishly the put all their bad eggs in one basket; most prisoners had impressive escape records. How could a mere camp contain Dickie Attenborough, Steve McQueen and Ives. Throw in Charles Bronson, who could dig a tunnel before lunch and you're just asking for trouble. And that's just what they got. A mass escape which upset Adolf terribly. Storage is all about security and this camp just didn't deliver.
The United States Bullion Depository, commonly called Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building located near Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is used to store a large portion of United States official gold reserves and, occasionally, other precious items belonging or entrusted to the federal government. Now that makes it a pretty valuable self storage operation. Who else can claim to store $134 billion worth of goods? Well Jeremy Irons in Die Hard with a Vengeance knew that he'd make more by targeting the Federal Reserve in New York.
The British Houses of Parliament is currently used as a storage facility for politicians. Sadly the occupants of this facility are free to come and go as they please. Each Honorable Member was elected to serve their constituents and give moral leadership to the nation. Instead many appear to have feathered their own nests. Indeed they seem to have several nests all of which require lavish feathers funded by the British Taxpayer. This self storage location is in need of a deep clean and fumigation but will hopefully shine again as the mother of all storage centres.
This brief history illustrates the rich heritage of self storage. One in ten U.S. households now rent a self storage unit. Theres enough self storage space to completely cover 3 Manhattan Islands. And it all started in a cave in France.
About the Author:
Rob Shorten is an inventive student of history. He's also a self storage entrepreneur, web conversion expert, a coleopterologist, a weaver of tales, halitosisist and father to Blossom and Maximus. His presentation on the history of self storage was the hit of this years storage convention in Bird's Landing. Have a look at a modern self storage facility Kangaroo Self Storage. King Khufu would be amazed.
