Birth of the Automobile Age

Tue, Aug 31, 2010 by Reference

According to some, the automobile age started 125 years ago this week when a patent was filed in Germany for a two-wheeled machine driven by an internal combustion engine. Gottlieb Daimler had helped develop a single-cylinder four-stroke engine in 1884, notable for its relatively light weight.

To test the engine, Daimler built a “riding car” —a wood frame riding on wood wheels wrapped with iron bands. Daimler’s son conducted the first test drive along a 2 mile stretch of road in southern Germany. First gear was good for nearly 4 mph, while second gear brought the machine to almost twice that.

Library resources: History of the Automobile