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Not many inventions revolutionized the US like
the automobile. The first recorded conceptualzation was in the 1400s
by Leonard da Vinci. In 1600 the 'sailing chariot' was modeled by Simon
Steven of Holland and in 1769 the first recorded working steam driven model
was built by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot, a French military engineer, who designed
the unit to carry artillary. (One could really consider this the first
crossover vehicle.) Richard Trevithick in England built the a full-sized steam
carriage in 1801. Several improvements in design were patented including
a differential (1827), hand braking system (1827) and the three speed
transmission (1832). The earliest known combustion engine was produced
by Etienne Lenoir in Paris (1860). Lenoir added this to an automobile
chassis in 1862. Germans Nikolaus Otto and Eugen Langen are credited
with the invention of the four stroke engine in 1866. Gottlieb Daimler
improved upon this design and substituted oil for gasoline as the fuel. A
progression of improvements followed in rapid succession during 1860 to 1890
(except in England where the Red Flag Act, which required a person carrying
a red flag to proceed any motor vehicle caused progress to come to a near
halt). In the US, the first patent on a motor vehicle had been issued
in 1789, and in 1895 George Selden secured a monopoly on all autos manufactured
in the US using a combustion engine. In 1911 the Ford Motor Company
won a patent infringement case with Seldens ALAM which destroyed that companys
monopoly, opening up the US to multiple manufacturers and beginning Americas
love affair with the auto. Long button up coats like this this one were commonly worn in the 1890s by drivers and riders to keep clothing clean when motoring in an open car. #P137 Below calf length coat with turndown collar and long cuffed sleeves and outer pockets. Unlined. Available in Misses sizes Small (6-8) Medium (10-12) Large (14-16) X-Large(18-20) XX-Large (22-24) OR Mens sizes Small (34-36) Medium (36-38) Large (40-42) X-Large (44-46) XX-Large (48-50) XXX-Large (52-54) Available in Black or Tan Cotton/Polyester fabric $120.00 |
