Prehistoric Entrepreneurs
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 Upper Palaeolithic peoples of Central Europe are well known for their exquisite cave drawings. Fine examples exist in Lascaux, France; Cave of Altamira, Spain and Creswell Crags, UK. The eminent professors extensive studies suggest that the drawings of bison, horses and deer, informed hunter-gathering cavemen of what could be safely stored in each cave. Further research is required to validate this exciting hypothesis.
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 benefitted from a tip off about an impending storm and created the first floating self storage operation. He subsequently cornered the market and achieved one of the fastest fill rates ever known for self storage. The flood removed his competitors giving him a monopoly on storage provision. His charitable disposition meant he didn’t abuse this dominant position and instead gave shelter to animals.
In 210BC Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of China decided to store a terracotta army. In all 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots, 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses were put into storage. This modest effort required 7,000 workers. In this case security was superb and the army was only discovered in 1974 by some farmers drilling for water. Having survived for over 2000 years the army is now under attack by 9 different kinds of mould and by the breath of visitors. They should have opted for a climate controlled storage facility.
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.
It would appear that the majority of the British public would like nothing more than to see their members of Parliament incarcerated in a self storage facility. Many would like to throw away the key. But instead they are stored in the mother of all Parliaments, spending their precious hours deciding on which home should be their primary residence this week. After a productive lunch they spend the afternoon completing their expense claims. Democracy: some may pine for the days of King Khufu and Qin Shi Huang; at least you know where you are with an omnipotent ruler.
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.
Fashion Women's Trendy OL Slim... 29.98 | Fashion Women's Trendy OL Slim... 29.98 | Fashion Women's Trendy OL Slim... 29.98 | Fashion Women's Trendy OL Slim... 29.98 |
