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Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented the first self propelled road vehicle. This was a three wheeled military tractor for the French army.
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Karl Friedrich Benz invented the first true automobile in Germany. This was a gasoline automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.
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Henry Ford opens the Ford Motor Company and sells 1,700 cars in the first year.
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Henry Ford created the first car that would be affordable for the majority of Americans. This changed the way Americans lived, worked, and traveled.
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Henry Ford created the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. This reduced the time it took to build a car from more than 12 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes.
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The Delaware company uses a thermal interrupter to create the flashing turn signal
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The three-point seat belt was invented by Nihls Bohlin. In 1964, Studebaker-Packard was the first company to introduce seat belts as standard equipment on all of its vehicles. Soon all vehicles had them. Laws were made in some states and safety was a major part of cars.
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Car manufacturers realize that the oil reserves will evenutally dry up and they develop an engine that uses more than one fuel source. These are hybrid engines.
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The Navia is designed for closed environments, like a resort, and its top speed is 12 miles an hour, or about the same as gasoline powered cars in 1895.
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The first automobile fitted for four wheel brakes was created by the Scottish. The front brakes are operated by a foot pedal, while the back brakes are controlled by a hand lever.
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The first air bag was fitted to GM cars Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac.