Thousands of years ago, a caveman named "Ug Lee," needed a better way to cut up his Woolly Mammoth that he stoned to death. He took his favorite rock, and tried his best to remove some choice morsels. However he realized that his trusty rock just wasn't completing the job. His wife "Hoam" told Ug that he should try her favorite stick. Ug realized that if he attached his favorite rock to Hoam's favorite stick, his job might be a little simpler. Thus, Ug and Home Lee invented the first simple machine. Throughout the centuries, humans have been challenged to make life easier. One way to accomplish this was to invent tools to make jobs less difficult. We know these tools as machines. The tools most people think about when they hear the word "machine" are actually a combination of two or more simple machines. There are six types of simple machines: the inclined plane, wedge, screw, levers, pulley, and the wheel and axle. Click the "next" button below to learn about the simple machines we all take for granted.