The word "automobile" has come to mean freedom
for people everywhere, especially in the U.S.!
Americans travel 850 billion miles a year in their 100
million passenger cars. They are the greatest selfmovers on
earth.

A1 The Duryea brothers built America's first
gasoline-powered automobile in 1893-1894.
Henry Ford and R.E. Olds introduced their
gaspowered^horseless carriages" in 1896.

A2 Olds built 425 cars in 1901-the start of
mass production. His 1904 model and those
made by other pioneer automakers were shown at
the St. Louis World's Fair.

A3 Thomas Edison believed that electric cars
would serve motorists better than the in-
ternal combustion engine. He was wrong!

A4 What are these folks doing in front of the
Metropolitan Museum in New York City? They
are watching an early-day parade of autos!


A5 Andrew Carnegie made millions in the steel
business and then spent millions on public
libraries and education. He rode about town in a
big, chauffeur-driven touring car.

A6 France was the birthplace of auto racing.
The Chicago Times Herald staged the first
real motor race in the United States on Thanksgiving Day, 1895. Six cars slid through slushy
snow on a 54-mile course. Frank Duryea won.
Then, in 1904, W.K. Vanderbilt organized the
Vanderbilt Cup races on the dirt roads of Long
Island. The Cup races continued until 1910.

A7 Americans treated their cars like members
of the family. They named them Josephine,
She/la or Lizzie. And, like this San Francisco family,
they'd pile in her for a Sunday drive.

B1 The Ford Model T was built on the world's
first efficient assembly line. Front and rear seats
were completely upholstered in 18 minutes!

B2 Bodies and running gear were assembled on
separate lines at Ford's plant. Tires^nd
wheels, the gas tank and muffler were attached to
the chassis at this point in assembly.

B3 Ford paid his workers the then unheard-of
wage of one dollar an hour. And each Ford
worker was assigned to one job, whether it was
installing a steering wheel or wiring a dash.

B4"Tlowline" production was introduced back
in 1913, when Ford cars were put on skids
and moved by tow-rope along a line of parts.
The Model T went into production in October,
1908, and continued with very few changes until
'27. It was so successful that Ford frequently told
his dealers to close their order books.

B5 Last step on the line was the body drop- not
as dramatic in the early days as it is now. All
Model T's were black and there was no chance of
mismatched bodies and fenders.

B6 The "manufacturer's suggested list price" on
the T varied from year to year: from slightly
over $650 to under $300! It was for the multi-
tudes, Ford said. When production ceased, he'd
sold 15 MILLION of them!

B7 By 1927, scenes like these at the Fair of the
Iron Horse (see the Old-Time Trains packet)
were becoming common. Certainly a new kind of
hitphing post, the era of the parking lot had begun.

C1 Then, as now, the family car was a source of
pride. Mr. L.D. Walrath and his daughters
proudly posed with their open touring car outside
the family home in Meadville, Pa.

C2 Assembly-line production brought the automobile within the
reach of everyone, rich or poor. And newly-built highways
linked rural areas to our teeming cities...

C3.. and our teeming cities to scenic areas like
the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
For the first time in history, it was possible for
everyone to "See America" for himself.

C4 For example, you could drive in from the
farm and shop on Broad Street in downtown
Philadelphia! It didn't take long at 40 mph!

C5 Some hardy souls ventured out West, where
even the best roads remained unpaved. The
owners of this roadster (forerunner of the convertible) have
stopped at a viewpoint on the road to
the Grand Tetons to inspect Wyoming's Shoshone Lake.

C6 Guests at Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone
had a choice: They could drive their "Tin Lizzie'
around our first National Park or take a guided tour
on a "Yellow Jacket" bus.

C7 Cross-country travel by automobile wasn't
for everybody, however. Stay-at-homes got
picture postcards (taken, often as not, by the
Keystone View Co. photographer) saying " having
a wonderful time, wish you were here."