If you’ve ever watched The Animal Planet on television, you may know that man is not the only animal
that uses tools. Other primates, some birds and even some insects are known to pick up a stick and use it to poke
at something. We, however, are the only species that invents tools. Man’s first tool probably was used to hit
something; thus, the hammer was invented. But when the only tool you have is a hammer, your capabilities are
limited to pounding things into submission. As our goals became a little more sophisticated, so did our tools. When
we started growing food in addition to hunting for it, our tools became much more specialized. Eventually, we
invented tools that, quite literally, took us to the moon. But even the space shuttle carries a
hammer.