I would like to give emphasis to an era of innovation and development that sprung in our country, as well as around the world that began from the 19th century throughout the Progressive Era. New innovations during this moment in time arose that made travel a much simpler venture for the average individual. Before this era in the 19th century travel was slow and stressful, so to make life a little easier, steam-powered stagecoaches were being introduced and became a very popular way for people to get to their destinations. Soon because of innovations in our society with vehicles; new roads were to be built in place of dirt trodden pathways, which allowed for a much more comfortable travel. The nation became more cutting-edge in the automobile industry when electric vehicles were introduced to the market at that time. In one online publication by Mary Bellis it states, “Between 1832 and 1839, Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first electric carriage. Electric cars used rechargeable batteries that powered a small electric motor” (Bellis). That innovation was significant to our culture because it paved the way for multiple ideas to power vehicles in our future. In the same writing by Mary Bellis, she states , in 1885 “Gottlieb Daimler invented what is often recognized as the prototype of the modern gas engine - with a vertical cylinder, and with gasoline injected through a carburetor (patented in 1887). Daimler first built a two-wheeled vehicle the "Reitwagen" (Riding Carriage) with this engine and a year later built the world's first four-wheeled motor vehicle” (Bellis 1). It is amazing how Daimler’s ideas would later continue to influence motor-vehicles in the present society, regarding the four-wheeled invention. Furthermore, other ways of travel that were of importance during this time was the rail system, tramways and trollies. This was an era of invention and experimentation in vehicles and technology. In our online book it states, “The mass manufacturing of automobiles proved a boon to the economy and transferred patterns of travel, leisure and consumption” (Jones, pg.450). One has to be proud of how far we have come to where we are now with advances in technology and vehicles.By Julian Thomas
(1) Bellis, Mary . "The History of the Automobile: Early Steam Powered Cars." http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarssteama.htm.
(2) Jones, et al, Created Equal, Brief Third Edition, Volume 2 with packaged with MyHistoryLab (online)
