The History of the Automobile

Carl Benz-Video

The first automobile was patented back in 1886, or a hundred and 30 years ago. 

A patent is the exclusive right to make and sell a certain product. It's given from a government to an inventor after the product is seen as novel and useful. When Carl Benz obtained the patent for his automobile, he called it the motor car. In 1888, his wife Burda drives his car with her 2 oldest sons. A gas station was born from this. The Axial Pivot steering system helped solve a large issue, being able to steer the front two wheels at the same time. This design is still being used today. When Benz & Co and the Diamond Motor Company merged, the new name of the company was Mercedes Benz. The thing Benz experienced that many other inventors do not, is that he lived to see his dream come true.

Henry Ford and the Model T-Video

The Assembly line changed when 3 employees came up to Henry and told him that if the line moved parts to the workers then they'd be able to stay in one place and do what they're good at, without having to walk around the factory. Henry Ford offered his employees a more liveable wage in comparison to other companies at the time. This made his workers stay working there longer then usual. The Model T was a car made for the common man, and the first one costed 2 thousand dollars. The cars price later dropped down to a surprising 365 dollars, which is about $7000 today. As the car became the main method of transportation, it offered freedom of travel. You could go wherever, whenever.

My Video Selections

Vulcanized Rubber

Rubber in it's natural form is unstable, if it gets too hot it melts into a puddle, if it gets too cold it gets rigid.

If you combine natural rubber and sulphur it changes its properties and makes it much more durable.

Rubber is a vital component that's located in many modern products today.

Rubber plantations were created, where rubber was harvested from trees by slaves who were brutally beat. This was especially bad in Africa.

The Ford Edsel

The Ford Edsel was a car made by Henry Ford, name after his only son Edsel

It is regarded as being the biggest flop in the history of the car industry, mostly for how ugly the cars body was.

Edsel, the man the car was based off was the inspiration for one of the supposedly most beautiful cars ever made, the original Lincoln Continental.

One of the most insulted features of the car was it's grill, which was commonly referred to as the "Toilet seat grill"

3 years after the car released, they pulled it from the market. It's estimated that they lost 250-350 million dollars.