4 Fun Facts About the First Cars You Didn’t Know
How much do you know about the early history of automobiles? We’ll bet you didn’t know these fun facts about the first cars, like the kind of tires they drove or who invented the windshield wiper!
The First Vehicle Came in the 18th Century
When you think of the first car, you are likely to think of a small, horseless carriage from the late 19th or early 20th century. However, it was actually a French army engineer who invented the first self-propelled vehicle way back in 1769!
Nicholas Joseph Cugnot invented the first industrial car, which was more of a giant steam tractor, to transport army cannons in the 18th century. While it wasn’t very useful or practical (and didn’t have any brakes), it is considered by historians the first-ever self-propelled vehicle.
Karl Benz Invented the First Modern Automobile
The first modern automobile, as many would consider it, is credited to Karl Benz and his Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1886. Karl Benz is the Benz of Mercedes-Benz and, with his invention, is hailed as the father of the automobile.
The small Patent-Motorwagen wasn’t much to look at or very practical, but it was a massive breakthrough of its time. It was the first automobile patented and replicated for production, with roughly 25 models made over seven years.
The First Cars Had Tubed Tires
Another fun fact about the first cars you didn’t know is that they had tubed tires. Almost all vehicles ran exclusively on tubed tires for the first couple of decades after cars began to be produced in mass quantities.
Tubed tires feature two tubes—an inner tube filled with air to give the tire its shape and an outer tube that was tougher and designed to handle the road. While tubed tires were the predominant form for decades, they fell out of favor in the 1950s. Modern car tires don’t have inner tubes because tubeless tires are much safer and more durable.
A New York City Tourist Invented Windshield Wipers
The windshield wiper is an essential tool for all modern vehicles, but the original idea for them came from an Alabama tourist riding on a New York City streetcar. Mary Anderson was visiting the city and waiting in traffic when she noticed the street car operator frequently had to get out to wipe the snow off the windshield.
Thinking there had to be a better way, Anderson returned home, sketched a window-cleaning device, and filed for a patent. While she earned the patent in 1903, it was never bought by street car or automobile companies. Although windshield wipers became ubiquitous only after her death, Anderson is credited with the original idea.