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Sep 7, 1478
The Self-Propelled Cart
Leonardo da Vinci invents the self-propelled cart. This happens many years before anyone else is even thinking about automobiles. However, the cart remains a sketch on paper and is never actually made. This self-propelled cart is not a car like we see today, but is more similar to a wagon, and does not have an actual seat. -
Cugnot's Tractor
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot builds the first self-propelled road vehicle in France, a tractor for the French army. It has three wheels and moves at about 2.5 miles per hour. -
First US Patent
American, Oliver Evans, receives the first US patent for a steam-powered land vehicle. -
The "Puffing Devil"
In Great Britain, inventor Richard Trevithick builds a steam powered road carriage. It is considered to be the first tramway locomotive. It is designed for use on the road, not the railroad. -
Moving Away from Steam Power
An internal combustion engine which uses a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen is invented by Francois Isaac de Rivaz in Switzerland. He also designs a car for the engine, the first automobile powered by internal combustion. However, his design turns out to be very unsuccessful. -
Internal Combustion to Power A Vehicle
English engineer and inventor Samuel Brown invents an internal combustion engine. It has separate combustion and working cylinders, and is used to power a vehicle. -
The Electric Carriage
Robert Anderson invents the first crude electric carriage in Scotland. It is powered by non-rechargeable primary power cells. -
The Horseless Carriage
Belgian engineer Jean-Joseph-Etienne Lenoir invents the “horseless carriage.” It uses an internal combustion engine and can move at about 3 miles per hour. This is the first commercially successful internal combustion engine. -
Improving on the Internal Combustion Engine
German Nikolaus August Otto improves on the internal combustion engine. His engine is the first to efficiently burn fuel directly in a piston chamber. -
Using Gasoline
Julius Hock, of Vienna, builds the first internal combustion engine running on gasoline. -
George Baldwin Selden
American George Baldwin Selden invents a combined internal combustion engine with a carriage. It is never manufactured. -
The 4-cycle Engine
Otto builds the four-cycle internal combustion engine, which is the prototype for modern car engines. -
First U.S. Automobile Patent
American inventor George Baldwin files the first U.S. Patent for an automobile. This invention is more similar to a wagon with an internal combustion engine. -
Karl Benz's Automobile
German engine designer Karl Benz builds the first true automobile powered by a gasoline engine. It has three wheels and looked similar to a carriage. -
Ford's First Car
In Michigan, Henry Ford builds his first automobile. -
“Cannstatt-Daimler”
Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach invent the first four-wheeled, four-stroke engine in Germany. It is known as the “Cannstatt-Daimler.” -
Gas Power and the U.S.
Brothers Frank and Charles Edgar Duryea invent the first successful gas-powered car in the United States. -
Motor Wagons
The Duryea brothers start the first American car manufacturing company in Springfield, Massachusetts. It is called Motor Wagons. -
The Steering Wheel
A steering wheel is designed to replace the steering tiller. -
Alabama and the First "Speed Limit"
Alabama sets a state maximum speed limit of 8 miles per hour. -
Ford's "Model T"
Ford’s Model T production rockets from 7.5 cars per hour to 146 cars per hour, thanks to the utilization of the assembly line. -
The Radio
The car radio is introduced. -
The "Jeep"
The first four-wheel drive, all-purpose vehicle is designed for the U.S. Military. It becomes known as the Jeep. -
The Interstate Highway Act
The Interstate Highway Act creates a network of highways which connects all parts of the United States. -
The First Seat Belt Law
Wisconsin becomes the first state to create a seat belt law. It calls for the seatbelt to be a standard requirement in automobiles. -
Air Bags
Air bags become a new car safety option. -
Seat Belts in New York
New York state becomes the first state with a law requiring the use of seatbelts. -
GPS
The car Global Positioning System, or GPS, is introduced. -
The "New" Electric Car
Due to the rising cost of gasoline and impact of global climate change, zero-emission electric vehicles come back to auto showrooms. The first electric vehicles had been designed in the early 1800s. -
The Prius
The first Toyota Prius is sold in Japan. -
Late 2000's and the Fall of the SUV
Many vehicle manufacturers begin to abandon once popular gas-guzzling SUVs for more efficient vehicles due to environmental concerns and the recession.
