Who invented tires?

Answer 1

It is popularly thought that John Dunlop, a Scot, invented the pneumatic tyre. However, another Scot by the name of Robert William Thomson from Stonehaven invented the pneumatic tyre some 43 years earlier.

A noteand a fuller answer

This question isn't only asking about the inventor(s) of pneumatic tires! It just asks about "tires". The answer is that, long before pneumatic tires were invented, solid tires made of wood or iron were fitted to stone, wooden or metal wheels to make them last longer.

The reason for fitting such tyres is that, if you don't have a separate tire, when its outside edges get chipped and worn away, the whole wheel - or maybe at least its rim - has to be replaced.

So it is probable that tires were invented soon after wheels, because the people who invented wheels soon found out it was a good idea to have tires on them simply because because they can be replaced more easily when they get damaged or wear away.