Timeline Description: The automobile is largely considered a standard possession among consumers, but it wasn't always like that. The automobile we know today was created through a series of individual inventions over a substantial period of time. The first car invented over a century ago was vastly different than the one enjoyed today.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| May 14, 1886 | First motor invented. German inventor Karl Benz creates the first motor car, called the Benz Patent-Motorwagon. |
| June 4, 1895 | First pneumatic car tire invented. Michelin introduces the fire pneumatic car tire, which is a tire made of reinforced rubber and filled with compressed air. |
| July 19, 1903 | Ford Motor Company established. Henry Ford opens the Ford Motor Company and sells 1,700 cars in the first year. |
| November 16, 1908 | Ford introduces the Tin Lizzie. Henry Ford introduces the first Model-T car, otherwise known as the Tin Lizzie. The car is generally considered the first affordable automobile. |
| June 4, 1910 | First four wheel brake system implemented. The Scottish made Argyll is the first automobile fitted for four wheel brakes. The front brakes are operated by a foot pedal, while the back brakes are controlled by a hand lever. |
| May 30, 1912 | First electric traffic light invented. Police officer Lester Wire invents the first electric traffic light. The first actual light was installed in Cleveland, Ohio in 1914. |
| 1913 | First moving assembly line invented. Ford Motor Company invents and implements that first moving assembly line designed for cars. The production of automobiles is radically transformed, leading to the production of more cars than ever before. |
| April 28, 1926 | New land speed record set. Parry Thomas sets the new land speed record in Pendine Wales, UK with a speed of 272km/h. |
| October 8, 1933 | First car radio installed. Galvin Manufacturing Corporated, under the direction of Paul V. Galvin and Joseph E. Glavin invest and install the first car radio. |
| 1935 | Flashing turn signals invented. The Delaware company uses a thermal interrupter to create the flashing turn signal. |
| June 4, 1936 | First diesel passenger car introduced. Mercedes-Benz introduces the 260-D, the first diesel passenger car. By 1939, there was a fifteen month waiting list for the car. |
| June 4, 1938 | The Beetle is introduced. Volkswagen starts producing the famous Beetle car in Germany. |
| 1939 | First air conditioning system installed. Nash Motor Company installs the first air conditioner system. |
| September 16, 1947 | Land speed record broken. John Cobb drives a Railton Mobile Special 634 km/h at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. |
| May 4, 1958 | First seatbelt installed. The first seatbelt is installed in the Saab GT750 in Sweden. |
| October 30, 1963 | Lamborghini was founded. The popular automobile company Lamborghini was founded by Ferrico Lamb. High-end sports cars began hitting the market. |
| June 19, 1974 | First airbag installed. The first air bag was fitted to GM cars Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Cadillac = signaling the industry's new found commitment to customer safety. |
| October 4, 1983 | Land speed record broken. Richard Noble drives a Thrust 2 to 1019 km/h in the Black Rock Desert in Nevada. The car was propelled by a Rolls Royce jet engine. |
| October 15, 1997 | Land speed record broken once more. The Thrust SSC (Super Sonic Car) broke the land speed record by traveling at 1228 km/h. |
| May 30, 2005 | The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 becomes the fastest commercial production car. The car has the potential to travel at speeds of up to 431 km/h. |