Our timeline series covers three distinct periods of the automobile industry. We start with a timeline for the Antique Car Era, a time of innovation and creativity; then cover the Vintage Car Era, a time of survival and despair; and conclude with the Classic Car Era, when the automobile industry was reborn and became the core of every day life.
The Antique Car Timeline starts with the invention of the gasoline engine because it ultimately won the war over steam and electric power sources. It was a time of innovation because there were no tools or machinery to depend on and a time of creativity because there were no books or manuals to reference. Every would-be backyard mechanic had dreams of creating a horseless carriage and some of those that did will never be forgotten. Names like Ford. Olds, Nash and Chevrolet are more likely to be known than their respective U.S. presidents. The Antique Car Era ended with the beginning of World War I, when men and resources were needed for combat and automobile factories began making bombs. There are several other resources for the Antique Car Era on our website in the Knowledge section as well as a collection of pictures of antique cars and antique trucks on our Antique Car & Truck Pinerest Board.
1893 (Return to Top)
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- Duryea brothers built the first American gasoline powered car.
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- Thomas Edison invented the kinetoscope, leading to moving pictures
- Lizzie Borden was found innocent of killing her parents in New Bedford, MA
- W.L. Judson invented the zipper
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1894(Return to Top)
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- Morris & Salom built the Electobat electric motorcar
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- The first bottle of Coca-Cola was sold
- Rudyard Kipling published The Jungle Book
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1895(Return to Top)
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- The first American automotive association, The American Motor League was founded
- The first gasoline powered car race between Chicago, IL, and Evanston, IL
- The Duryea Motor Wagon Company was the first U.S. company to build a gasoline automobile
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- The first slot machine was built
- Guglielmo Marconi invented the radio
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1896(Return to Top)
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- Ransom E. Olds built his first gasoline engine
- Henry Ford built the gasoline powered Quadricycle
- Charles King drove his water cooled, 4-stroke vehicle
- Frank Stearns build his first car
- Pope Manufacturing Company build an electric car
- The term "automobile" was introduced
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- Gold was discovered in the Yukon's Klondike region
- Utah became the 45th state
- The first Summer Olympics were held in Athens, Greece
- The Dow Jones Industrial Average was published for the first time
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1897(Return to Top)
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- Ransom E. Olds founded the Olds Motor Vehicle Company
- Ransom E. Olds created the first assembly line
- The Studebaker brothers started building cars
- The Winton Motor Carriage Company was founded
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- Columbia Mark III Electric Phaeton
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- William McKinley became the 25th President
- The Boston subway was completed
- Bram Stoker published Dracula
- The first Boston Marathon race
- The Spanish-American War with Cuba began and ended
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1898(Return to Top)
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- Andrew L. Riker founded the Riker Electric Motor Company
- The Stanley brothers built their first Stanley Steamer
- Thomas Jeffery built his first car
- F.B. Sterans & Company was founded
- The first automobile dealerships were founded
- John Wilkinson built an air cooled, 4-cylinder engine that would be used in Franklins
- Electric taxi cabs first appeared in New York City
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- General Electric
- Stanley Steamer
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- Waverley Electric
- Waltham
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- Land speed record set in France - electric car - 65.79 mph
- The USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor
- The five boroughs of New York city were first defined
- The first escalator was installed
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1899(Return to Top)
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- Samuel L. Smith bought the Olds Motor Works, Olds stayed as Vice President & General Manager
- James Packard built his first car
- The Pittsburg Motor Vehicle Company became the Autocar Company
- Brisben Walker and Amzi Barber bought the rights to the Stanley steam engine
- Walker went on to produce the Locomobile
- Barber went on to produce the Mobile
- The first auto parts store opened in St. Louis, MO
- Motor Age magazine began publication
- The catalytic converter was invented
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- Baker Electric
- Baldwin Steam
- Chicago Electric
- Dyke kit car
- Grout
- Gurley
- Holyoke
- Kensington
- Kidder
- Leach Steamer
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- Locomobile
- Media
- Oakman-Hertel
- Orient
- Packard Model A
- St. Louis
- Strathmore
- Victor Steam
- Waltham Steam
- Woods Electric
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- The "Great Blizzard", -47 degrees in Nebraska
- The Open Door Policy was announced
- Aspirin was first produced
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1900(Return to Top)
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- Thomas White built the White Steamcar
- The first American automobile show was held in Madison Square Garden with over 300 vehicles
- The Mobile Company of America built their first Steam vehicle
- About 4,000 vehicles were produced
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- Akron
- American De Dion
- Auburn
- Automobile Fore-Carriage
- Baker Electric
- Boston
- Buffalo
- Canda
- Clark Steam
- Gasmobile
- Hasbrouck
- Hewitt-Lindstrom
- Holley
- Imperial
- International
- Keene Steamobile
- Keystone
- Klock
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- Knox
- Lane Steam
- Lozier
- Marlboro
- Milwaukee
- Packard Model B
- Peerless
- People's
- Remington
- Robinson
- Searchmont
- Skene Steam
- Springfield Steam
- Strong & Rogers Electric
- Triumph
- Waverley Electric
- White Steamer
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- The United States population exceeded seventy-five million
- Major hurricane in Galveston, TX
- Work began on the New York subway system
- A hurricane on Galveston Island killed over 6,000 Auto Industry
- 20% of all cars sold had electric motors
- Smallpox epidemic in Kansas
- The II Summer Olympics were held in Paris, France
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1901(Return to Top)
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- Am-Motors-Corporation was founded
- The Riker Electric Motor Company became part of the Electric Vehicle Company
- About 7000 vehicles were built in the US
- About 90 companies participated in the second National Automobile Show - Most engines were water cooled
- The steering wheel became more popular than the tiller
- The Henry Ford Company was founded
- The curved dash Olds became the first mass produced gasoline car in the world
- Vehicle licensing began in New York State
- Crude oil sold for five cents a barrel
- Autocar produced the first car with a driveshaft
- The first speeding ticked was issued in Minneapolis, MN
- Auto manufacturers adopted the first 60 day guarantee
- The American Automobile Association (AAA) was founded to oversee racing
- Ford sets a speed record of 60 mph
Number of Cars Produced
Locomobile = 1,500
Winton = 700
Oldsmobile = 400
White = 200
Autocar = 150
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- Ajax Electric
- Autocar
- Automotor
- Brecht
- Buckeye
- Buffalo electric
- Buffum
- Conrad
- Cotta Steam
- Crestmobile
- Darling
- Desberon
- Empire Steamer
- Essex
- Fanning
- Foster
- Geneva steam
- halsey Steam
- Hoffman
- Hudson Steamer
- Knox
- Lewis
- Long Distance
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- Mobile
- Moncrief Steam
- Murdaugh
- National electric
- Niagara
- Norton
- Oldsmobile - Curved Dash
- Pawtucket Steam
- Pierce Motorette
- Prescott Steam
- Rambler Model A
- Reading Steamer
- Rogers & Hanford
- Steamobile
- Sterns
- Storck Steam
- Taunton Steam
- Thompson
- Thompson Electric
- Toledo
- Wall
- Warwick
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- William McKinley was assassinated
- Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th Cadillac of the United States
- U.S. Steel was founded by J. P. Morgan
- Marconi sent the first wireless transmission from England to Canada
- Queen Victoria Died
- The first Nobel Prices were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden
- King C. Gillette produced the first safety razor
- Hubert Booth made the first vacuum cleaner
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1902(Return to Top)
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- The Detroit Automobile Company became the Cadillac Automobile Company under Henry Leland
- Thomas Jeffery Company produced the first Rambler
- The Ohio Automobile Company became the Packard Motor Car Company
- Locomobile was the first to produce a 4-cylinder, water cooled engine located in the front
- Packard created the "H" gearshift pattern transmission
- Louis Clarke of Autocar created the first porcelain spark plug insulator
- Clarence Spicer developed the universal joint
Number of Cars Produced
Locomobile = 2,750
Oldsmobile = 2,500
Rambler = 1,500
White = 400
Knox = 250
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- Apperson
- Baldner
- Binney & Burnham Steam
- Blomstrom
- Brazier
- Bristol
- Cadillac Runabout
- Cadillac Tonneau
- Centaur
- Cloughley
- Covert
- Davenport Steam
- Decker
- Flint Steam
- Franklin
- Fredonia
- Gaethmobile
- General
- Graham Motorette
- Holsman
- Ideal
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- Kunz
- Model
- Murray
- Northern
- Olds Runabout
- Pomeroy
- Rambler
- Rapid
- Reber
- Rockaway
- Sandusky
- Santos-Dumont
- Studebaker Electric
- Toledo
- Tourist
- Union
- Upton
- Walter (American Chocolate)
- Wildman
- Yale
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- Land speed record set in France - steam engine - 75.06 mph
- Land speed record set in the U.S. - internal combustion engine - 76.08 mph
- The first Rose Bowl game was played
- The American Automobile Association (AAA) was founded
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1903(Return to Top)
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- Ransom E. Olds started the RE Olds (REO) Motor Car Company
- David D. Buick founded the Buick Motor Company and sold it to James H. Whiting
- About 11,200 cars were built
- Honeycomb radiators, T-Head engines, shock absorbers and sliding-gear transmissions were developed
- 88 new auto companies were founded
- First electric power steering was developed
Number of Cars Produced
Oldsmobile = 4,000
Cadillac = 2,500
Ford = 1,700
Pope-Hartford - 1,500
Rambler = 1,350
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- Austin
- Bates
- Berg
- Blackhawk
- Buckmobile
- Cadillac Model A
- Cameron
- Cincinnati Steam
- Clarkmobile
- Columbus Electric
- columbus Electric
- Commercial Electric
- Country Club
- Eldredge
- Ford Model A Runabout
- Glide
- Graham electric
- Greeley
- Hall
- Hammer-Sommer
- Howard
- Iroquois
- Jackson
- Jaxon Steam
- Jones-Corbin
- Lyman & Burnham
- Mackle-Thompson
- Marble-Swift
- Marr
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- Matheson
- Mitchello
- Mohawk
- Monarch
- Moyea
- Niagara
- Overland
- Parkin
- Phelps
- Pierce-Arrow
- Pope-Robinson
- Pope-Toledo
- Premier
- Randall Three-Wheeler
- Rapid
- Regas
- Rotary
- Russell
- Shelby
- Smith
- Springer
- Star
- Thomas
- Tincher
- Warner (Muncie)
- Waterloo
- Welch
- Zentmobile
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- The Great Train Robbery movie opened
- The Ford Motor Company was formed
- The first World Series baseball game was played
- The Wright brothers made their first powered flight
- The first Crayola Crayons were produced
- The first baseball World Series was won by the Boston Americans in eight games
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1904(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 22,000 cars and 700 trucks were produced
- William C. Durant bought the Buick Motor Company
- 87 auto manufacturers at the National Automobile Show
- The first convertible was produced
- Automatic lubrication, air brakes, fans for water-cooled engines and an automatic transmission were introduced
- Ransom Olds sold the Olds Motor Works and opened the REO Motor Car Company
- The Cadillac Automobile Company became the Cadillac Motor Car Company
- The National Association of Retail Automobile Dealers was founded
- The Prest-O-Lite Company was founded to make acetylene headlights
- Henry Ford broke the world speed record at 91.37 mph
- William Vanderbilt broke the world speed record at 92.037 mph
Number of Cars Produced
Oldsmobile = 5,500
Cadillac = 2,450
Rambler = 2,350
Ford = 1,700
White = 700
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- Acme
- American Mercedes
- American Napier
- Beverlo
- Black Diamond
- Brew-Hatcher
- Buick Model B
- Cadillac Model B
- Cantono Electric
- Chadwick
- Christie
- Compund (E.N.V.)
- Courier
- Dawson
- De Motte
- Dolson
- Duquesne
- Elmore
- Model AC
- Ford Model B & C
- Four Wheel Drive
- Frayer-Miller
- Gibbs Electric
- Hill
- Logan
- Luverne
- Mahoning
- Marion
- Marmon
- Michigan
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- Moline
- Ormond Steam
- Pierce-Racine
- Pope-Hartford
- Pope-Tribune
- Pope-Waverley Electric
- Pungs-Finch
- Reliance
- Queen
- Quinlan
- Rambler Model L
- Richmond
- Roberts
- Royal Electric
- Royal Princess
- Royal Tourist
- Schacht
- Smith
- S&M Simplex
- Standard (New Yersey)
- Stoddard-Dayton
- Studebaker
- Sturtevant
- Synnestvedt Electric
- Walworth
- Wayne
- Wolverine
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- Land speed record set in the U.S. - internal combustion engine - 91.37 mph
- The Panama Canal Zone was acquired
- The III Summer Olympics were held in Lt. Louis, MO
- Times Square in New York City was established
- National Automobile Show featured 177 gasoline powered and 31 electric cars
- Ignition locks, tire chains and universal wheel rims were introduced
- Manufactures emphasized comfort over speed
- Adams-Farwell introduced a 3-cylinder rotary engine
- The Sturtevant was the first car to have an automatic transmission
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1905(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 24,250 cars and 750 trucks were produced
- The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) was formed
- The installment payment plan was introduced
- The American Motor Car Manufacturers Association was formed
Number of Cars Produced
Oldsmobile = 6,500
Cadillac = 3,950
Rambler = 3,800
Ford = 1,600
Franklin = 1,100
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- A.B.C.High-Wheeler
- Adams-Farwell
- American Mercedes
- Ardsley
- Ariel
- Aurora
- Banker
- Berkshire
- Boss
- Breese & Lawrence
- Cadillac Model C, D, E & F
- Cartercar - (1905-1915)
- Corbin
- Crawford
- Culver
- Eagle Air Cooled
- Ford Model F
- Fritchle Electirc
- Gale
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- Gas-Au-Lec
- Halladay
- Hammer
- Johnson
- La Petite
- Leader
- Maxwell
- Monarch
- Moon
- Morse Steam
- Oxford
- Parsons Electric
- Pullman
- Rauch & Lang
- Rainier
- Reeves
- REO
- Speedway
- Victor
- Walker
- Watrous
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- The first nickelodeon opened, showing The GreatTrain Robbery
- Baseball World Series was won by the New York Giants
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1905 Bennett Runabout
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1906(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 32,200 cars and 800 trucks were produced
- Manufactures began using chrome-nickel, high-carbon steel and aluminum
- Ford, Franklin, Pierce-Arrow, National and Stevens-Duryea stepped up to 6-cylinder engines
- Benjamin Briscoe left Buick to help Jonathan Maxwell build the Maxwell
- Buick made the storage battery standard equipment
- A front bumper was introduced as optional equipment
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 8,725
Cadillac = 3,550
Rambler = 2,750
REO = 2,450
Maxwell = 2,150
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- Aerocar
- American (Underslung)
- American Mors
- American Simplex
- Autocycle (Vandergriff)
- Babcock Electric
- Bliss
- B.L.M.
- Brunn
- Cadillac Model H, K, L & M
- Chalfant
- Colburn
- Deere-Clark
- DeLuxe
- Dorris
- Dragon
- Essex Steam
- Ford Model K & N
- Fostoria
- Frontenac
- Harrison
- Hawley
- Heine-Velox
- Hewitt
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- Jewell
- Kansas City
- Kissel Kar
- Kobusch
- Lambert
- Kobusch
- Lambert
- MacNaughton
- Mason
- Maumee
- Moore
- Mora
- Nielson
- Page
- Palmer
- Paragon
- Pontiac
- Postal
- Reliable
- Dayton
- Shawmut
- Shoemaker
- Single Center
- Steel Swallow
- Success Auto Buggy
- Thomas-Detroit
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- The Morse Code signal for an "SOS" was adopted
- Land speed record set in the U.S. - steam engine - 127.66 mph
- The San Francisco 7.8 earthquake occurred
- Baseball World Series was won by the Chicago White Sox
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1907(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 43,000 cars and 1000 trucks were produced
- Registered vehicles int he US exceeded 140,000
- General Motors bought REO to produce Oldsmobiles
- Sliding-gear transmission and 6-cylinder engines were popular at the National Automobile Show
- Edward Murphy founded the Oakland Motor Car Company with Alanson Brush as his designer
- The Curved Dash Oldsmobile was cancelled
- The Hewitt became the first American car with a V-8 engine
- Oldsmobile began replacing brass trim with chrome
- The first speed bumps were used in Glencoe, IL
- President William H. Taft ordered the first official White House automobile, a White Steamer
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 14,900
Buick = 4,650
REO = 3,950
Maxwell = 3,200
Rambler = 3,200
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- Albany
- Anderson
- Atlas
- Aurora
- Bailey Electric
- Barnes
- Bay State
- Belden
- Brush
- Bugmobile
- Cadillac Model G
- Cornish-Friedberg
- chase
- Cold
- Conover
- Continental
- Corbitt
- Cosmopolitan
- Crain-Toledo
- Crescent
- Cunningham
- C.V.I.
- Detroit Electric
- Diamond T
- Duer
- Durocar
- Earl
- Euclid
- Eureka
- Everybody's
- Falcon
- Fee-American
- Ford Model R & S
- Four Traction (Kato)
- Gearless
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- Gifford-Pettitt
- Great Smith
- Griswold
- Harper
- Hatfield
- Hay-Berg
- Haydock
- Ideal
- International
- Jenkins
- Kermath
- Kiblinger
- Kingston
- Klink
- Lauth-Juergens
- Lorraine
- Marvel
- Maryland
- McLaughlin
- Miller
- Monarch
- Pennsylvania
- Perfection
- Ranger
- Regal
- Selden
- Senator
- Simplex
- Simplicity
- Speedwell
- Staver
- Stilson
- Trebert
- Triumph
- Wolfe
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- Oklahoma became a state
- A coal mine exploded in West Virginia, killing hundreds
- Baseball World Series was won by the Chicago Cubs
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1908(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 63,500 cars and 1500 trucks were produced
- The Ford Model T was introduced
- Most cars had 4-cylinder engines
- Left-hand steering became the norm
- William C. Durant and Charles S. Mott incorporated the General Motors Company
- George E. Daniels became the first president of the General Motors Company (GM)
- William Eaton became the second president of GM
- GM bought the Olds Motor Works and Buick from Ransom E. Olds
- Studebaker and Everitt-Metzger-Flanders (EMF) produced Studebaker-EMF cars
- Charles Y. Knight invented the steel-valve engine
- Fred and Charles Fisher formed the Fisher Body Company
- John Willys became president of Willys-Overland
- Oldsmobile produced its first 6-cylinder engine
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 10,200
Buick = 8,800
Studebaker = 8,125
Maxwell = 4,450
REO = 4,100
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- Allen-Kingston
- Bendix
- Benner
- Bertolit
- Browniekea
- Cadillac Model S, T
- Chalmers-Detroit
- Chicago Motor Buggy
- Chief
- Clark-Hartfield
- Clymer
- Crown
- Davis
- Deal
- DeSchaum
- De Tamble
- Duplex
- Economy
- Everitt-Metzger-Flanders
- Fairbanks-Morse
- Famous
- Ford Model T
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- Fuller
- Garford
- Hobbie
- Imperial
- Jeannin
- Lincoln
- Marathon
- Midland
- Mier
- Owen-Thomas
- Palmer-Singer
- Paterson
- Pittsburg
- Rider-Lewis
- St. Joe
- Stafford
- Sears
- Sharp Arrow
- Sultan
- Viking
- Waldron
- Webb Jam (steam)
- Willys-Overland
- Zimmerman
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- The IV Summer Olympics were held in London, England
- Baseball World Series was won by the Chicago Cubs
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1909(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 123,900 cars and 3255 trucks were produced
- There were 290 companies building automobiles in the U.S.
- About 70 percent of engines had 4-cylinders and 30 percent had 6-cylinders
- Hupmobile integrated the transmission and clutch with the engine
- The Hudson Motor Car Company was formed
- White switched from Steam to gasoline engines
- Cellular radiators became popular
- Ignition system voltage was increased
- The Indianapolis Speedway was completed
- Detroit introduced the first concrete street
- GM bought the Cadillac Company from Henry Leland
- GM bought the Oakland Motor Car Company from Edward M. Murphy
- GM bought the Elmore Manufacturing Company from the Becker brothers
- GM bought the Motorcar Company (Cartercar automobile) from Byron J. Carter
- GM bought the Rapid Motor Vehicle (truck) Company from the Gabowssky brothers
- GM bought the Reliance Motor Car Company
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 17,775
Buick = 14,600
Maxwell = 9,450
Studebaker/EMG = 7,960
Cadillac = 7,850
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- Abbott-Detroit
- Alco
- Babcock
- Black Crow
- Broc Electric
- Cadillac Model 30
- Coates-Goshen
- Cole
- Correja
- Croxton-Keeton
- Cutting
- Detroit-Dearborn
- Emancipator
- Empire
- Enger
- F.A.L.
- Firestone-Columbus
- G.J.G.
- Herreshoff
- Hudson
- Hupmobile
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- Illinois
- Inter-State
- Jonz
- Metz
- Ohio
- Page-Detroit
- Petrel
- Pickard
- Pilot
- Planche
- Pratt-Elkhart
- Ricketts
- Roebling
- Salter
- Sellers
- Spoerer
- Sterling
- Toledo
- Velie
- Washington
- Westcott
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- The penny was changed to the Abraham Lincoln design
- Land speed record set in England - internal combustion engine - 115.93 mph
- William Howard Taft became the 27th President
- Robert Peary claimed to have reached the North Pole
- The NAACP was founded
- The first fingerprint evidence was used in a murder case
- The first hearse automobile was used in a funeral
- The first men reached the North Pole
- Baseball World Series was won by the Pittsburgh Pirates
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1909 Sears Motor Buggy
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1910(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 181,000 cars and 6,000 trucks were produced
- Torpedo body featured at National Auto Show
- Ford introduced a body adaptable by outside suppliers
- Ford opened the Highland Park plant - The world's largest
- Buick introduced a closed-body limousine
- William C. Durant was voted out of GM
- James Storrow became president of GM
- Charles Nash became president of Buick
- Alvan Macauley became general manager of Packard
- GM bought the Chelsea Manufacturing Company (Welch automobile) the Welch brothers
- GM bought the Rainier Motor Car Company (Marquette automobile) from John T. Rainier
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 32,050
Buick = 30,525
Willys-Overland = 15,600
Studebaker/EMF = 15,025
Cadillac = 10,050
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- American Fiat
- Ames
- Amplex
- Anchor
- Anhut
- Bergdoll
- Borland Electric
- Burg
- Continental
- Courier
- Demot
- Dispatch
- Everitt
- FWD Truck
- Great Eagle
- Great Western
- Henery
- Kenmore
- Kimball Electric
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- Kline Kar
- K-R-I-T
- Lion
- McFarlan
- Mercer
- Morse
- Norwalk
- Ohio electric
- Otto
- Owen
- Parry
- Plymouth
- Republic
- Sebring
- Spaulding
- Warren
- Welch-Detroit
- White (gas engine)
- Wilcox
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- The Boy Scouts of America was founded in the U.S.
- The "Big Burn", the largest U.S. forest fire, over 3 million acres in three states
- Baseball World Series was won by the Philadelphia Athletics
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1911(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 199,300 cars and 10,680 trucks were produced
- Most manufacturers offered 4-door models
- Automatic starting systems were introduced
- Cadillac came out with the first electric starter
- Durant and Louis Chevrolet started the Chevrolet Motor Car Company
- Studebaker took over the Everitt-Metzger-Flanders (EMF) company and Studebaker Corporation was formed
- Hudson introduced a fluid clutch
- Ford introduced a new, cheaper Model T and sales doubled
- Oldsmobile introduced a 707 cubic inch 6-cylinder engine
- Thomas Neal became the president of General Motors
- Painted center lines were introduced in Detroit, IL
- The International Motor Company (Mack) was formed
- The Diamond T Motor Car Company switched from cars to trucks
- GM combined the Rapid and Reliance truck companies to make GM Truck Company
- Chevrolet introduced the Series C classic Six
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 67,750
Studebaker/EMF = 26,825
Willys-Overland = 18,750
Maxwell = 16,000
Buick = 13,400
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- Alpena
- ArBenz
- Atterbury
- Carhartt
- Case
- Chevrolet
- Colby
- Crow-Elkhart
- Dalton
- Gaylord
- Havers
- Hupp-Yeats
- King
- Lenox
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- Mighty Michigan
- Motorette
- Nyberg
- Penn
- Rayfield
- R.C.H.
- Roader
- Rogers
- S.G.V.
- Standard Electric
- Stutz
- Stuyvesant
- Virginian
- W.F.S.
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- The Supreme Court broke up Standard Oil
- Baseball World Series was won by the Philadelphia Athletics
- Ray Harround won the first Indy 500 race at an average speed of 74.6 mph
- Manchu Picchu was discovered
- The first Indianapolis 599 was won by Ray Harrounat at an average speed of 74.59 mph
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1911 Daimler
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1912(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 356,000 cars and 22,700 trucks were produced
- Automatic starters powered by air, exhaust, electricity, acetylene and gasoline were introduced
- Gowen Budd all steel bodies were introduced
- Temperature gages were introduced
- Charles Nash became president of General Motors
- Chicago, IL, restricted the use of horns
- A Packard truck was the first to go coast-to-coast full of merchandise
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 78,450
Willys-Overland = 28,575
Studebaker/EMF = 28,025
Buick = 19,800
Cadillac = 12,700
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- Peninsular
- Argo Electric
- Atlas-Knight
- Chicago electric
- Church-Field Electric
- Crane
- Detroiter
- Edwards-Knight
- Great Southern
- Grinnell Electric
- Henderson
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- Little
- Marquette
- Modoc
- Omaha
- Pathfinder
- Perfex
- Pratt
- Stoddard-Dayton
- Knight
- Touraine
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: Joe Dawson - Average speed: 74.602 mph
- The RMS Titanic sank
- New Mexico and Arizona became states
- Girl Scouts of America was founded
- The V Summer Olympics were held in Stockholm, Sweden
- Baseball World Series was won by the Boston Red Sox in eight games
- The Titanic ocean liner sunk
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1913(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 461,500 cars and 23,500 trucks were produced
- Ford began mass production of the Model T and doubled output
- The first Chandler automobile was produced
- The Bendix electric starter was introduced
- Chevrolet moved to Flint, MI, and merged with Little Motor Car Company
- Vehicle financing started to take hold
- The National Automotive Chamber of Commerce was formed and recommended that manufacturers offer a 90 day warranty
- The Gulf Oil Company was first to offer free road maps
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 168,225
Willys-Overland = 37,425
Studebaker = 32,000
Buick = 26,675
Cadillac = 17,275
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- Chandler
- Coey
- Grant
- Holly
- Howard
- Lyons-Knight
- Monarch
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- Partin-Palmer
- Read
- Scripps-Booth
- Tribune
- Vulcan
- Whal
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: Jules Goux - Average speed: 78.719 mph
- Woodrow Wilson became the 28the President
- The Sixteenth Amendment, establishing an income tax, was passed
- The Seventeenth Amendment, establishing direct election of Senators, was passed
- The first cross word puzzle was published
- Stainless steel was discovered
- Baseball World Series was won by the Philadelphia Athletics
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1913 Model T Speedster
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1914(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 548,150 cars and 24,900 trucks were produced
- Construction of the first coast-to-coast highway began
- The first Dodge brother's cars were produced
- Rambler cars were renamed "Jeffrery"
- Cadillac introduced a V-8 engint
- Ford limited the color of the Model T to black
- Cleveland adopted electric stop lights
- Detroit, MI, installed the first stop sign
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 308,150
Willys-Overland = 48,450
Studebaker = 35,375
Buick = 32,900
Maxwell = 18,000
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- Benham
- Briscoe
- Cadillac Model 1914
- Chevrolet Baby Grand, Light Six & H Series
- Dile
- Dobe Steamer
- Dodge
- F.R.P.
- Hercules
- Jeffery
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- Jones
- Lewis
- Milburn Electric
- Moline-Knight
- Monroe
- Saxon
- Shamrock the Second
- Singer
- Sphinx
- Vixen
- Willys-Knight
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- Land speed record set in England - internal combustion - 124.09 mph
- Indianapolis 500 winner: Rene Thomas - Average speed: 82.474 mph
- World War I began in Europe
- Mother's Day became a national holiday
- Congress passed the Revenue Act, the beginning of income tax
- Henry Ford raised the minimum wage from $2.34 to $5.00 to ward off the United Auto Workers union
- The Panama Canal opened
- Baseball World Series was won by the Boston Braves
- Income tax was introduced in the US
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1914 Saxon A-IV
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1915(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 895,930 cars and 74,000 trucks were produced
- Support of the war effort increased sales and depleted supplies
- Over half of the cars sold in the US were Fords
- V-8 engines, electrical systems and demountable rims became common options
- Prism headlamp lenses were introduced
- Packard announced their twin-six, 12 cylinder engine
- Dodge produced the first all steel, mass produced (Budd) body
- Samuel McLaughlin founded General Motors of Canada
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 501,450
Willys-Overland = 91,900
Dodge = 45,000
Maxwell = 44,000
Buick = 43,950
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- Alter
- Biddle
- Cadillac Type 51
- Carne-Simplex
- DeKald
- Dort
- Farmac
- Harvard
- Herff-Brooks
- Hollier
- Madison
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- Menominee Electric
- Monitor
- Monroe
- Ogren
- Owen Magnetic
- Pilgrim
- Pilliod
- Richard
- Ross
- Scripps-Booth
- Yellow Cab
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: Ralph DePalma - Average speed: 89.84 mph
- The Birth of a Nation movie opened
- The RMS Lusitania was sunk
- The U.S. Coast Guard was established
- The Lusitania was sunk, killing 1,200
- Baseball World Series was won by the Boston Red Sox
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1916(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 1,525,578 cars and 92,130 trucks were produced
- Charles Nash left GM to manage the Thomas Jeffery Company
- William C. Durant regained control of the General Motors Company and renamed it the General Motors Corporation
- Alvan Macauley became president of Packard Motor Car Company
- Alfred Sloan became president of the United Motors Corporation
- More power and lower prices were marketing ploys
- Slanted windshields and wire wheels were popular options
- Cadillac became a division of GM
- Hudson produced the first crankshaft with balance weights
- Congressed passed the Federal Road Act to establish a national highway system
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 734,800
Willys-Overland = 140,100
Buick = 124,825
Dodge = 71,400
Chevrolet = 70,700
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- Anderson
- Bell
- Birch
- Bour-Davis
- Brewster-Knight
- Bush
- Cadillac Type 53
- Chevrolet Series 490
- Columbia
- Daniels
- Dixie Flyer
- Drummond
- Economy
- Elcar
- Elgin
- Fergus
- H.A.L.
- Hatfield
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- Homer
- Jordan
- Kent
- Laurel
- Liberty
- Maibohm
- Marion-Handley
- Moore
- Murray
- New Era
- Packard Twin Six
- Riddle
- Romer
- Stephens
- Sun
- Waco
- Yale
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: Dario Resta - Average speed: 84.001 mph
- The United States acquired the Virgin Islands
- Pancho Villa attacked New Mexico
- The Thompson submachine gun was invented
- The VI Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany
- Baseball World Series was won by the Boston Red Sox
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1916 Studebaker Touring Car
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1917(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 1,745,790 cars and 128,157 trucks were produced
- William C. Durant founded the United Motors Company
- GM bought the Chevrolet Motor Car, Samson Tractor, Fisher Body and the Guardian Frigerator (Frigidaire) Companies
- GM started development on the Sheridan automobile
- US auto manufactures began supporting the war effort
- Ford began making trucks
- The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) was founded
- Henry Leland founded the Lincoln Motor Company
- The Hudson Motor Car Company founded the Essex Motor Car Company
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 622,350
Willys-Overland = 130,990
Buick = 115,275
Chevrolet = 111,875
Dodge = 90,000
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- Amco
- American Piedmont
- Ben Hur
- Cadillac Type 55
- Chevrolet Series D & F
- Comet
- Commonwealth
- Cruiser
- Disbrow
- Eagle-Macomber Rotary
- Fageol
- Geronimo
- Ghent
- Hackett
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- Harroun
- Lincoln
- Napoleon
- Nash
- Nelson
- Olympian
- Pan-American
- Pennsy
- Phianna
- Sayers
- Seneca
- States
- Tulsa
- Woods Dual Power
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: No race due to WW I
- The United States entered World War I, declared war on Germany
- The beginning of the Russian Revolution
- Boys Town was founded
- The first Pulitzer Prizes were given
- Baseball World Series was won by the Chicago White Sox
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1918(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 943,436 cars and 227,250 trucks were produced
- Coal and petroleum shortages slowed production and purchases
- Vehicle prices increased
- Gasoline was rationed for the first time
- Women took on factory jobs as men went to war
- Nash won an army contract for 11,500 trucks, making it the largest US truck manufacturer
- General Motors acquired the Chevrolet Motor Car Company
- White gave up automobile manufacturing in favor of trucks
- Malcolm Loughead invented 4-wheel hydraulic brakes
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 435,900
Willys-Overland = 88,750
Chevrolet = 88,725
Buick = 77,700
Dodge = 62,000
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- Cadillac Type 57
- Chevrolet FA Series
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- Chandler (Cleveland)
- DuPont
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: No race due to WW I
- Influenza epidemic in Kansas
- U.S. airmail began
- The American Legion was started
- Baseball World Series was won by the Boston Red Sox
- Armistice ending World War I was signed
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1918 Ford Model T Roadster
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1919(Return to Top)
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- Approximately 1,651,625 cars and 224,731 trucks were produced
- Coal and petroleum shortages stifled postwar demand for more vehicles
- Total production of the Ford Model T exceeded 3,000,000
- A 4-cylinder Esses was the only new car at the 19th National Automobile Show
- An electric starter was offered as an option for the Model T Ford
- The General Motors Acceptance Corporation was formed
- Flat-rate repair prices began
- The first three color stop light was installed in Detroit, MI
- General Motors took control of the Fisher Body Company
- Henry Ford bought the Ford Motor Company from stockholders and made Edsel Ford the president
- Oregon adopted the first gasoline tax
Number of Cars Produced
Ford = 820,450
Chevrolet = 129,120
Buick = 119,300
Dodge = 106,000
Willys-Overland = 80,850
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- Argonne Four
- Briggs & Stratton
- Champion
- Chevrolet FB Series
- Cleveland
- Climber
- DuPont
- Highlander
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- Locomobile Model 48
- Lone Star
- Metor
- Noma
- Pan
- Porter
- Tock Falls
- Spacke
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- Indianapolis 500 winner: Howdy Wilcox - Average speed: 88.050 mph
- Ralph de Palma set a world speed record of 149.8 mph in a Packard 905
- A Duesenberg with two 8-cylinder engines set the land speed record of 158 mph
- The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I
- The Eighteenth Amendment, prohibiting alcohol, was passed
- The Nineteenth Amendment, guaranteeing women the right to vote, was passed
- The rotary dial telephone was invented
- Daylight savings time was established
- The pop-up toaster was invented
- Baseball World Series was won by the Cincinnati Reds in eight games
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