Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
The Ford Model T is an automobile that was produced by the Ford Motor Company from October 1, 1908, to May 26, 1927. [16] It is generally regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile, which made car travel available to middle-class Americans. [17]
In 1828, Ányos Jedlik, a Hungarian who invented an early electric motor, constructed a tiny model car powered by his new motor. [8] In 1834, Vermont blacksmith Thomas Davenport, the inventor of the first American DC electric motor, installed his motor in a small model car, which he operated on a short circular electrified track. [24]
The introduction of the Ford Model T automobile in 1908 is credited with having revolutionized both transportation and American industry. As the sole owner of the Ford Motor Company, Ford became one of the wealthiest people in the world. [4] He was also among the pioneers of the five-day work-week.
The world's first long distance automobile trip was undertaken by Bertha Benz using a Model 3. On the morning of 5 August 1888 Bertha – supposedly without the knowledge of her husband – took the vehicle on a 104 km (65 mi) trip from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother, taking her sons Eugen and Richard with her.
Bertha Benz at age 18, c. 1867 Cäcilie Bertha Ringer was born on 3 May 1849 to a wealthy carpenter family in Pforzheim.She was the third of nine children. Her father, Karl Friedrich Ringer, a master builder and carpenter, and her 20 year younger mother, Auguste Friedrich, were wealthy individuals who invested heavily in their children's educations.
Commercial cars became widely available during the 20th century. The 1901 Oldsmobile Curved Dash and the 1908 Ford Model T, both American cars, are widely considered the first mass-produced [3] [4] and mass-affordable [5] [6] [7] cars, respectively. Cars were rapidly adopted in the US, where they replaced horse-drawn carriages. [8]
On September 23, 1915, the first C.R. Patterson and Sons automobile was assembled, a two-door coupe. [4] The first cars were sold for $685, with additional reports of the car selling for $850 (or $17,741 to $22,014 adjusted for inflation in 2021).
For the first time Karl Benz publicly drove the car on July 3, 1886, in Mannheim at a top speed of 16 km/h (10 mph). [10] Benz later made more models of the Motorwagen: model number 2 had 1.1 kW (1.5 hp) engine, and model number 3 had 1.5 kW (2 hp) engine, allowing the vehicle to reach a maximum speed of approximately 16 km/h (10 mph).