If you need to get down quickly from a great height, the simplest option is to just jump and fall. It’s the most straightforward solution—no construction or purchases required. However, there’s a slight issue: if you do this, it will hurt quite a bit, even if the drop isn’t that high. And if you’re falling for an extended period with nothing below to cushion your landing, well, consider yourself done for. But it’s not all doom and gloom; for many years now, people have been utilizing a fantastic tool—the ladder. That’s what we’ll discuss this week.
Ladders made their debut in Minecraft quite some time ago, back when the game was first launched in June 2010. To craft a ladder, you’ll need seven sticks arranged in a crafting grid shaped like the letter “H,” which will yield three ladders. If you’re looking at a full stack of ladders, you’ll require about two and a half stacks of sticks. Sounds complicated? I think it’s one of the easiest items to make. But if you’d rather not bother with crafting, you can always explore nearby buildings for some. The best places to check are village churches, fortresses, and ships.
Ladders assist us in moving up and down. But here’s a little secret: if you find yourself falling in Minecraft Bedrock and there’s a ladder nearby, grabbing onto it can save your life. Your speed will decrease to that of descending a ladder. Fantastic! Holding down the “Shift” key will stop and hold you in place, but there’s a downside—your block-breaking speed will significantly reduce. Lastly, like many other items in Minecraft, ladders can also be used as fuel. If you happen to create a large quantity, it could come in handy, especially if you live in a big wooden house without heating.
Image credit: Fralambert
In the real world, people have known about ladders for a very long time. They are even considered ancient technology. In the Spider Caves (brrr, show me someone who would want to visit that place), in Valencia, Spain, researchers found ancient cave paintings dating back around 10,000 years depicting two individuals climbing a ladder to gather honey from a wild hive. It appears very long and unstable. Likely, they were woven from ropes instead of being made from wood as we do today.
Everyone on our planet has seen a ladder and understands its structure. For instance, the horizontal pieces are called “steps” (derived from the Old English word “hrung,” meaning rod or shaft). What about the other components? The vertical supports between which the rungs sit are referred to as rails, the curved elements that attach the ladder to the surface are hooks, and finally, the bottom part of the ladder that rests on the ground is called the “foot.” Wow, I never knew that before. Interesting. It turns out there are so many simple and mundane things around me that I don’t know about. Time to learn more!
