Looking at the History of the Automobile

Carl Benz

 1. Automobiles have been around since 1885.

2. A patent government authority or license conferring a right or title for a set period.

3. "A Vehicle with a gas Engine" is the title he uses to describe the automobile.

4. On August 1888 his wife Bertha drove the invention.  From this drive the first Petra Station was born.

5. The axial pivot steering system helps the problem of not being able to steer both wheels.

6. Mercedes Benz was the name of the merged company. 

7. Carl Benz lived to see his dream come true. 

Henry Ford and the Model T

1. The assembly line used to have the employees move from place to place.
2. Everyone working stayed longer and more committed to the Ford because Henry was fair and made sure everyone was paid  fairly.
3. The first Model T cost a little over 1000 dollars.  It was made for the common man.
4. The Model T price dropped so dramatically dropped 365 dollars.  It dropped so dramatically because they made too many and needed to get rid of them fast, and they just wanted them gone.
5. As the Model T became the main mode of transportation which offered people a chance to go where they wanted to go anytime, it was their freedom.

My Video Selection

The Ford Edsel
This automobile was named after Ford's son
Was known as having a "toilet seat grill"
Pulled from line up after three years
People referred to this car as funny looking or odd

The Rise of Henry Ford
Came from an agricultural background (hated horses)
He did not actually create the first combustion engine
First company fails after about a year and a half
It was only in 1903 with the Ford Motor Company that started his work up and got his company off the ground

Automobile Timeline  

1908 Model T Introduced: 

• Henry Ford begins making the Model T. First-year production is 10,660 cars. Cadillac is awarded the Dewar Trophy by Britain’s Royal Automobile Club for a demonstration of the precision and interchangeability of the parts from which the car is assembled. Mass production thus makes more headway in the industry.

I choose this point because it shows how successful the mass production was and how the company took off.

1914 First car body made entirely of steel

• Dodge introduces the first car body made entirely of steel, fabricated by the Budd Company. The Dodge touring car is made in Hamtramck, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

I choose this point because it is an important time in history and marks a big step for automobiles.

1926 First power steering system

• Francis Wright Davis uses a Pierce-Arrow to introduce the first power steering system. It works by integrating the steering linkage with a hydraulics system

I choose this point because this was a problem that was fixed for the better.

1935 Flashing turn signals introduced

• A Delaware company uses a thermal interrupter switch to create flashing turn signals. Electricity flowing through a wire expands it, completing a circuit and allowing current to reach the lightbulb. This short-circuits the wire, which then shrinks and terminates contact with the bulb but is then ready for another cycle. Transistor circuits begin taking over the task of thermal interrupters in the 1960s.

I choose this point because it is a big step towards the rules of the road and creating a new and convenient way to drive safely.