America s Modern Society Thrives On The Need For Personal...

America’s modern society thrives on the need for personal vehicles. The desire to be an individual is evident in the choice of a car; it states personality and class, and it represents independence and freedom. However, if it was not for World War II, cars would not be what they are today. World War II opened the doors for affordable vehicles for everyone. It all started with children’s toys and steam-powered vehicles that broke down every other day. Although breakdowns were frequent, cars were mass-produced. Because they were expensive, poorly designed, and there were no adequate roads to drive on, the first cars were simply a novelty. Once World War II began, companies stopped producing vehicles for the everyday driver and started†¦show more content†¦He created this steam-powered toy for the Chinese Emperor Chien Lung. There is no recorded information about the vehicle itself, only the event. This marked the beginning of the steam-propelled era. The first full size automobile able to move by its own power was built in 1769 by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot. This vehicle was powered by a steam engine and mainly used as a military tractor. Because of its weight, it could only accelerate to 2.5 miles per hour. Then during 1885 and 1886, the first gasoline vehi cle was designed and built by Karl Benz in Germany; this was the first true automobile (Bellis- â€Å"The History of the Automobile†). Others before tried to build a full-sized vehicle that could move under its own power, but none succeeded until Benz. Although Benz built what is considered the first true automobile, it had mechanical errors and there were no suitable roads to drive on. Another seven years passed before the first successful gas-powered car was built in America by Frank and Charles Edgar Duryea in 1893. They later set up the first car manufacturing plant in America to produce identical automobiles (Bruno). Production of full size electric cars started in the 1890s when William Morrison built a six-passenger wagon, which is considered the first true, practical, electric car. In 1897, New York City Taxi Service prompted a mass transit system by investing in a fleet of