A Service Started By A Caveman- writedeal.com

Jun 23rd 09 Posted by Rob Shorten in Writing

A Service Started By A Caveman

by Rob Shorten

Recent research by Prof. Hercule dAlene suggests that self storage may be the Worlds second oldest profession. This article highlights some of the great historical self storage facilities.

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.

Noahs Ark offered the first mobile self storage solution. According to chapters 6-9 of the Book of Genesis, the Ark was a large vessel built by Noah, at God’s command. It saved Noah, his family, and a representation of the world’s animals from a great flood. Modern storage companies dont store animals, but fortunately Noah saw the advantage of ignoring this rule.

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.

If you had to store Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, James Coburn, Gordon Jackson and David McCallum, you wouldn’t put them all in the same camp would you? You’d send a couple to Colditz. But no, the German air force decided to put them all in the same place. What a mistake. Tom, Dick and Harry were being dug before you could say “more pudding Mr Goering”. Clever Mr McCallum used his socks to get rid of the dirt. And Steve McQueen was in and out of the cooler for his many escapes. Storage professionals always take care of security – it’s what the business is about.

Fort Knox, perhaps understandably, takes security more seriously than the average self storage centre. It’s protected by numerous layers of physical security, alarms, video cameras, armed guards, and the Army units based at Fort Knox, including Apache helicopter gunships, the 16th Cavalry Regiment, training battalions of the United States Army Armour School, and the 3rd Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division. Most storage operators find that CCTV, a good fence, alarm and staff vigilance will do.

In all it’s glorious history, self storage operatives have striven for the highest levels of honesty, integrity and professionalism. Sadly one storage centre in London has recently let the side down. What is going on in the Houses of Parliament, where British politicians are stored? This building seems to house a lot of bad eggs. Security is lapse; they can come and go as they please. Instead of offering leadership of the highest order, many appear to have their noses in the trough. Time for a cull.

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 a creative student of history. He’s also a self storage entrepreneur, web conversion expert, a marsupialologist, 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 impressed.