History of the car
History of the carPeople lives changed more during twentieth century than in any previous period in history. With so many inventions came in this period, there are few of them that have influenced and changed world more than automobile. Since most people alive today have grown up in the automotive age, the impact of the automobile on the society is easily overlooked.
Out of experiments in many places and with many elements of design, the essential features of the automobile emerged around the turn of the century. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, and especially in the 1890's, much work was carried in France, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, and United States to develop practical designs of both vehicle and motor. In 1885, Gottlieb Daimler, who had previously worked with Dr Nikolaus August Otto, applied a single cylinder and air-cooled vertical machine to a carriage. A few years later Daimler created his first "four wheeled wooden built light wagonnete" powered by petrol. Karl Benz of Manheim (Germany) then built an engine specifically intended for motor cars, leading to the four-wheelers (Thomas 321). As petrol cars became more dependable the advantage of not having to wait until steam was generated gave them clear superiority over the steamers, and the self-starter took away the principal advantage from electric propulsion. At the beginning of the century, petrol driven internal-combustion motor car had established itself as the dominant mechanical road vehicle and started its expansion with great rapidity (Ware 291).
In 1894, the French newspaper La Petit Journal introduced a new invention to the wider public by organizing a trial run of motor cars from Paris to Rouen. In 1895 the race was organized from Paris to Bordeaux. The winner averaged fifteen miles an hour. In the first decade of 1900's, French led the world in the production of cars, and automobiles even took part in French army maneuvers. In England, they were allowed to travel on roads at fourteen miles an hour. Around the same time in the United States, Henry Ford was making twin-cylinder water-cooled engine cars, which traveled at 25 miles an hour. (Zeldin II 640). Car ownership early in the century was limited to the rich and privileged. The revolution in the whole character of the car, as well as its method of manufacture, was made by the introduction of mass production. In 1908, Henry Ford, a farmer's boy from Michigan with little education, conceived the idea of a car designed for the masses. After careful examination of the Sears Roebuck factory, he began mass production of his model T car. The benefit of this mass-production was a low-priced and affordable car. It was the beginning of mass production and mass acceptance of automobiles. The consequence was that, in 1913, there were already over a million automobiles on the United States roads as opposed to 200,000 in...
To view the complete essay, you be registered.