Automobiles+-+Carter+Walker

The Automobile

Although attempts had been made prior to 1850 to create a form of transportation that did not require human or animal labor, the first true automobile (seen above) was invented in 1886 by Karl Benz. It used a two-stroke rear mounted motor, that powered the three wheels, thus propelling the vehicle. This basics of this design continue to be used in vehicles to this day, albeit at a far greater complexity. However, at the time, the automobile was considered by most people to be little more than a novelty, which was far too impractical to replace the horse on a large scale. In fact, in England, a law was passed that required any self propelled vehicle driving on public roads to be preceded by a man on foot waving a red flag and blowing a horn, which was not actually repealed until 1896. However, in the spirit of the first industrial revolution, all it took was a few inventors and entrepreneurs to have the dream of making a fortune off of these new vehicles, and within a few decades these "horseless carriages", as they came to be known, were being produced and distributed across the globe, albeit in somewhat small quantities.

These early automobiles came in hundreds of differing variations and models, each one competing for attention, so innovation was rapid, and in all possible directions. However, just as survival of the fittest dictates evolution, so did it help standardize automobiles, as the front mounted gasoline powered engine eventually became dominant in the early 1900's. With this increased standardization, the commercial success of a brand of automobiles started to become dependent on its affordability and availability, or in other words, the ability to mass-produce it. By 1910, automobiles had begun to outnumber horse-drawn buggies in some places. In 1914, Henry Ford, revolutionized the automobiles industry by making huge advancements in the efficiency of productions.His organized factory lines were able to produce automobiles in nearly one-tenth the time of previous manufacturers, and with less manpower required. Naturally, the rest of the world soon followed suit, and by World War II, automobiles had effectively replaced horses entirely, and the world had entered the age of cars.

The automobile's effect upon the world was massive. The first obvious advantage over the horse was that it was not living. It could not get tired, did not require food or water, and the only waste products were gaseous emissions that seemed insignificant for a time. Also, it could go far faster than a horse drawn buggy, and it could travel at a constant speed until it ran out of gas, making medium to long distance travel far easier. As cars became more affordable, they even started to phase out trains, simply due to their convenience, and the widespread construction of roads. This far greater ease of transportation meant that nations were more connected than ever before, both internally and externally, and this level of connection was absolutely necessary to compete on the world stage. Without automobiles, the world today would be a very different place.

Wikipedia contributors, "History of the automobile," // Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, // [] (accessed February 14, 2014).

Comments: -Sweet sports car -Maybe more sources would give more diverse information? -EXTREMELY Factual, but I would like to see some fun facts about it, something really interesting that I would bring up at dinner -The progression you showed from the 19th century to now was good.