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| Unit 02: History of the Automobile | ||
This unit is going to cover the brief history of the automobile.
The history goes from 1672 to the present.
The basics of the automobile have not changed in that time.
 | The first working steam-powered vehicle was built around 1672 by Ferdinand Verbiest, a member of a Jesuit mission in China. The small toy was built for the Chinese Emperor. | |
 | In 1768, the first steam powered automobile capable of human transportation was built by Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot. | |
| In 1807, Francois Isaac de Rivaz designed the first car powered by an internal combustion engine fueled by hydrogen. |  | |
 | In 1871, Wisconsin State University professor Dr. J. W. Carhart built a steam car, known as the Spark, that won a race that ran for 200 miles. | |
| By 1902 over half of the 900 cars registered in the U. S. were steam cars. In the early 1900's the Doble brothers, Abner, John, and Warren designed several steam cars that caught national attention. | ||
1875 WI State Representative George Marshall introduces a road bill
$10,000 is offered to any citizen of Wisconsin that can invent and produce a machine propelled by steam or other motive agent which shall be a cheap and practical substitute for the horse and other animals on the roads and farms of the state.
The statute, as passed, required:
1. Perform a journey of at least 200 miles, on common roads.
2. Be capable of ascending grades of 200 feet per mile.
3. Be capable of traveling in reverse.
4. Be able to turn off the roadway.
5. Be able to haul loads and pull plows.
6. Had to be practical for general farm and road use.
7. Travel a minimum speed of five miles per hour.
8. Must travel for 10 days.
Apparently none of the WI legislators believed that anyone in WI would take the matter serious enough to waste time on such a project.
How wrong they turned out to be. Inquiries poured into Madison.
1877 A commission was established to deal with the large number of inquires into George Marshal bill.
The commission consisted of:
George Marshal from Wood and Adams County
John M Smith from Green Bay
D.C. Olin from Jefferson County
July 15, 1878 was the official date for the Great Steam Race.
The race entries consisted of:
Mr. Baker of Madison
Dr. Karouse of Sun Prairie (Vehicle named Wisconsin)
Anson Farrand of Green Bay (Vehicle named Oshkosh)
E.P. Cowles of Wequiock (Vehicle named Green Bay)
July 15, 1878 The Great Steam Race day
The starting point for the Great Steam Race was the corner of
Broadway and Dousman Streets in Fort Howard (now known as Green Bay) WI.
| Only 2 vehicles arrived at the starting line. | ||
| The Oshkosh |  | The Green Bay |
 | The race route was: Starting in Fort Howard going to: De Pere, Appleton, Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, Waupun, Watertown, Fort Atkinson, Janesville, Beloit, and ending in Madison. | |
| And the winner was, The Oshkosh which arrived in Madison on July 23, 1878. Yes, it took 9 days to make the trip from Fort Howard (Green Bay) to Madison. Today it only takes approximately 3 hours. | ||
End of Unit 02 - Proceed to Unit 03