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The Modern Automobile
Karl Benz made the first "vehicle powered-by gas engine'' in Germany. Created in 1885, Benz had to wait until he received the patent to release the product. In 1886 Motor Wagons became popular quickly, costing only 150 US dollars. -
Gas powered engine in U.S.
Brothers Frank and Charles Duryea successfully built the first gas engine in the U.S. in 1892. After selling their first car in 1893, the Duryea brothers made 13 more vehicles in their garage. During this time they also founded the Duryea Motor Wagon Company, the first company in America to make and sell automobiles. -
Creation of steering wheel
A french engineer, Alfred Vacheron entered a race in Paris in 1894 with his 1893 Panhard. Before the race, he replaced the tillers or handles that controlled the vehicle with a steering wheel. He thought it would help better control the car while going fast speeds. Vacheron's invention was a success, but it was not very popular. Years later the steering wheel began to be standard in each car, by 1900 they were required to be manufactured. -
Speed Limit
Connecticut was the first state to set a speed limit being 12 miles per hour in the cities and 15 on country roads on May 21, 1901. By the end of the year, almost every state had a state limit. The only state to not have an indefinite speed limit in the daytime is Montana, to this day they still do not have a required state speed. -
Model T
Henry Ford's production of cars increased from only seven cars an hour to 140. He had assembly lines to inspect and prepare separate parts of the car. By 1908 the price of the cars was up to 900 US dollars. In the first year of sales, he sold thousands of cars. Five years later, Ford decided to lower the price by a little over half the original price. Due to the new low price sales sky rocketed again. -
The Radio
The first car radios were used by Chevrolet throughout the 1920s. They were really big and broad, took huge batteries, and they're very expensive. Since they were so heavy and expensive they were not popular. By 1924 a company in Australia placed the first reasonable-sized radio in their vehicles. The radios seemed to catch attention and soon were installed into all cars worldwide. -
Four-Wheel Drive
The first all-purpose vehicle, four-wheel drive, was designed for the military in 1940. The car is directly powered by the internal-combustion engine and is placed in the front. Throughout the early 1940s, four-wheel drive became liked by those who lived in more rural areas. Dodge Power Wagon invented the first Pick-up Truck in 1946, because of its endurance to nature and ability to tow large or multiple things in the back the trucks were a huge success. -
The Interstate Highway Act
Due to this Act, the legislation expanded the interstates up to 41,000 miles. This connects the United States, you could go anywhere in hours. The overall cost for all of the roads was $25 billion. -
Seat Belt Safety
Wisconsin became the first state to require you to buckle your seat belt when driving. The state itself attempted to convince neighboring states of the importance of seat belts. By 1968 federal law mandated all cars to be equipped with a shoulder and lap seat belt. -
Airbags
Airbags are introduced as a new safety option to put in your car. They are to help prevent permanent damage to the body when in a collision, or accident. -
Prices
During this time global climate change impacted society, raising gas prices. The increase in gas-powered engines was fast, by this time electric engine cars were antiques. -
Change
Most manufacturers have given up the previous cars and begun their journey of creating many different kinds of cars for different people and purposes. By this time vehicles are much safer and faster. -
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Cars