Who
would have thought, back in 1900, that cars would be such a big part
of our lives 50 years later? Now, 100 years later, they have some
effect on almost everything we do. We hate them, we love them, they
help us earn a living, they cost us money, they make us proud, they
embarrass us, we give them pet names, we curse them, they give us
pleasure, they cause us problems, they take us places where we would
never otherwise go, and they get us lost.
Steam
powered cars were introduced in the late 1700s and enough of them
were sold to result in a law, named the Locomotion Law, to be passed
in England, which required a man waving a red flag to precede the
beast on the road. It's comical to imagine a man and his wife,
dressed up in their Sunday best, driving a hissing and snorting
contraption down main street with a man running and waving a red
flag in front of them with horses rearing and ladies screaming and
scurrying about.
Many
variations of what would become our primary mode of transportation
were built and sold with differing amounts of failure and the first
automobile patent in the United States was awarded to a man named
Oliver Evans. His steam-powered vehicle not only traveled on the
road, but also incorporated paddle wheels to power it on water
making it the first powered amphibious
vehicle.
It
wasn't until 1865 that gasoline-powered engines were introduced and
starting in 1885, a number of German inventors, almost at the same
time, developed the first gasoline powered cars. The names of the
men were Benz, Daimler, Stuttgart, and Maybach. They remain to be
famous names in the industry today and their vehicles are still
sought after for their class and grace. Karl Benz is credited with
being the first to enter into automobile production in
1888.
In
the meantime many individuals made attempts at the car business in
the U.S. but the Dureya Motor Wagon Company is credited with being
the first large scale manufacturer starting in 1893. They were soon
overwhelmed by Oldsmobile and Cadillac, which was an off-shoot of
the Ford Company.
Henry
Ford started the Ford Motor Company in 1903 in an old building with
$28,000, much of which came from the Dodge Brothers. Unlike what
many of us were told in our youth, he did not invent the car. What
he did do was bring manufacturing and production capabilities and
processes into the 20th Century. Starting with an assembly line that
amounted to 3 man teams building one car at a time, he soon
introduced the first moving assembly line and manufacturing
processes. He is also credited with being the first manufacturer to
introduce employee relations and happiness into the scheme and, as a
result, he was able to reduce employee turn over and instil ambition
into his work force. With higher productivity and manufacturing
innovations, Henry Ford simply out produced everyone else. His
company was one of the most successful ever and one of the few to
last through the depression.
The rest is, as they say, history, and cars
are now built and shipped worldwide. Here are some articles that
will help you deal with your own blend of beast and
lover.