††††Brakes are devices used to slow down or stop moving vehicles or machines.
Brakes were first fitted to vehicles used in coal mines, as the speed of these vehicles had increased due to the laying of cast iron rails. Early braking systems were simply brake shoes operated by rods.
In 1869, George Westinghouse invented compressed air brakes, which were much more efficient. Disc brakes and hydraulic brakes, used on cars, were developed in the twentieth century. Many trucks and trains have air-brakes, which work by compressed air.
