Automobiles changed the world in the 20th Century. They have given people the freedom to live, work, and travel almost anywhere they want. The automobile industry has caused the suburbs to grow, and made the development of road and highway systems necessary. The manufacture, sale, and repair of automobiles are very important to the countries that produce large amounts of manufactured goods. But along with the advantages of automobiles, there have been disadvantages. Automobile accidents are a leading cause of death and injury in the world, and the automobile has brought about air and noise pollution. Despite the problems automobiles have caused, they are an important part of the culture and economy of the world.
Early Automobiles
Before the invention of railroads, streetcars, and automobiles, people traveled to work by horse or horse and carriage. A streetcar was a public passenger car operated by rails through the streets of the city. Traveling by horse was a slow means of transportation, so people had to live close to where they worked. People tended to live on farms or in the city where the businesses were located. In the late 1800’s, when railroads and streetcars were developed, people could live farther from work. The communities that grew next to or near the central cities were called suburbs. The growth of the suburbs dramatically increased when people started owning automobiles, because it became even easier for people to live farther from their work. Also, businesses and stores moved to the suburbs where the people lived.
The travel industry grew with the invention of the automobile. When people had automobiles, they could drive to different places to visit. People started going on vacations and spending money in the cities they visited, which helped the economy.
In the early days of the development of the automobile, there were three sources of automobile power – steam engines, electric motors, and gasoline engines. The first self-propelled vehicles were made during the late 1700’s in Europe using steam-powered engines. Steam engines are external-combustion engines. A steam engine works by using the heat energy of pressurized steam to push the pistons. In the late 1800’s, many Americans also experimented with steam automobiles. These automobiles were not successful, because it took a long time for the engines to heat up, they cost a lot to make, they caused a lot of noise, and sometimes they exploded if too much pressure built up in the engine.
In 1891, William Morrison built the first successful electric-powered automobile in the United States. Electric-powered automobiles were an improvement over steam-powered automobiles because they were quiet, cost less, and they did not produce smelly fumes. The disadvantages of electric cars were that they could only travel about 20 miles per hour, and the batteries needed to be recharged about every 50 miles.
In 1860,
