A Service Started By A Caveman
Dr Wan Hu postulates that self storage was the first commercial activity undertaken by mankind. Here’s a review of some of history’s great self storage projects.
The earliest known European cave paintings date to Aurignacian, some 35,000 years ago. The evidence suggests that they were not merely decorations of living areas, since the caves in which they have been found do not have signs of ongoing habitation. It is now thought that the paintings advertised the animals that could be safely stored in the cave. Aurochs and reindeer were particularly popular.
The Great Pyramid of Giza built for King Khufu in 2560BC is a spectacular early storage facility. Construction of this wonder of the Ancient World took 20 years. For over 3800 years it stood proudly as the tallest man made structure. However despite its size it only has 3 chambers. Such poor space utilisation would dismay modern self storage operators. Security would also cause concern, given that all 3 chambers were looted.
Noah was an early storage innovator, offering a solution to poor weather conditions. His business foresight and acumen is recorded in the Book of Genesis (chapters 6 to 9). Just after the completion of his Ark, a bad storm threatened his enterprise, but he was able to save his family and plenty of animals. Doubtless his reputation and future success were enhanced by this experience.
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.
Stalag Luft III was a Luftwaffe (German Air Force) prisoner-of-war camp during World War II that housed captured air force servicemen. The site near Sagan, now aga in Poland, was chosen because it would be difficult to escape from by tunneling. However as we know from the film, The Great Escape, Steve McQueen had no problem in escaping. Charles Bronson seemed to dig a 300ft tunnel by himself, using tools acquired by James Garner. Even Donald Pleasence, for whom tea was terribly important, managed to get out. So this storage facility failed in its primary task of safely and securely storing prisoners.
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.
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