... a distance of 50 miles before the batteries needed recharging. In the second half of the 19th century, Siegfried Marcus of Austria created the forerunner of the modern automobile, German engineer Gottlieb Daimler put a gasoline-powered engine on a bicycle, and Karl Benz followed with the first gasoline car. By 1900 a typical automobile in the United States looked something like this: It was shaped like a box, much like a horseless carriage, with little protection from rain, dust, or other hazards. It was started by a hand-crank - a dangerous undertaking since a backfiring engine could turn the crank into a whirling weapon known to shatter bones. Engines were mounted haphazardly under the body, and steering was often by tiller. All of the parts including the gears and drive systems were exposed to the elements. Early tires were solid rubber, and did not cushion bumps. The arrival of pneumatic ...

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