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Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.”
On January 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his “vehicle powered by a gas engine.” The patent – number 37435 – may be regarded as the birth certificate of the automobile. In July 1886 the newspapers reported on the first public outing of the three-wheeled Benz Patent Motor Car, model no. 1. -
Henry Ford debuted the first production Model T Ford
On October 1, 1908, Henry Ford debuted the first production Model T Ford at the company’s Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Building a brand based on quality and affordability, the Model T appealed to a wide range of American consumers. From 1908 to 1927 Ford built some 15 million Model T cars making it the longest production run of any automobile model in history until the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed it in 1972. -
the electric starter
A cumbersome hand crank start-up process was improved upon with the electric starter, developed by Charles Kettering and Henry M. Leland in 1911. This electric starter was made small enough to fit under the hood of a car; quite an engineering feat. The starters were first installed by Cadillac in production models in 1912. -
The car radio is introduced.
1924 – The car radio is introduced. The first car radios were used by Chevrolet in the early 1920s. They were very expensive at that time and incredibly bulky, with huge batteries, speakers, and antennas that barely fit into and onto a car. -
automatic transmission
In 1939, General Motors debuted “Hydra-Matic” – an automatic transmission using hydraulic fluid, which allowed vehicle gears to shift automatically during vehicle operation. This upgrade meant drivers could forego manual gear shifting. This introduction has remained one of the most important innovations in the history of the automobile. -
air conditioners
According to Automobile Magazine, in-car air conditioners came on the scene around 1940. The Packard was the first car to have it, and by 1969 more than half the cars manufactured included A/C units. Today, more than 99 percent of all new cars are air-conditioned. -
electronic fuel injection system
1966 was the year of the electronic fuel injection system. This milestone meant better fuel delivery to the car engine and improved engine efficiency and eliminated the need to pump your accelerator or pull a choke knob to get fuel to the engine. The 1967 Volkswagen 1600 was the first car to sport the new technology from Bosch. -
seat belts
Safety became a major focus in automobile manufacturing in 1968. Government standards required car manufacturers to equip front seats with shoulder and lap seat belts and back seats with lap belts. The shoulder and lap belts became standard in front and rear seats over time.