AUTOMOTIVE PIONEERS

Henry Ford and Other Automotive Pioneers

Ever since man came up with the idea for the round wheel, and found that it could roll, they have been looking for ways to use the wheel as a way to transport themselves. Through the wheel based inventions such as the bicycle, wheelbarrow and others have been used for one form of transportation or another. These are inventions that were made to either improve transportation of people or objects from one area to another. However, these inventions relied on human locomotion.

The next step in the evolution of the wheel was to use it as a method for self-propelled motion. One of the first ways was the invention of the automobile. However, the auto that we now know was a far cry from early version. The first automobiles were powered by steam-powered engines, soon to be followed by gasoline powered engines. Once the gas-powered engine was created, the world of automobiles was changed forever.

Over the past one hundred years, the auto has changed dramatically from early horseless carriages which were powered by steam to today's energy-efficient engines. In the process many pioneers have emerged from inventors who have helped move the automobile industry forward. Pioneers such as Ransom Olds, Walter Chrysler, Karl Benz and Henry Ford all played key roles in the auto industry. To learn more about some of the more notable automotive pioneers, we have put some information together. Please feel free to read the following information to learn more about the history of the automobile.

Henry Ford

  • The Life of Henry Ford - Informative page from the Ford Museum which chronicles his life and achievements.
  • Henry Ford Biography - Useful article which discovers the life and work of Ford.
  • Henry Ford - Information about the work that Henry Ford did in the auto industry.
  • Ford Changes the World - Helpful article about the work of Henry Ford to create the auto assembly line in 1908.
  • Ford Timeline - Web page which provides a chronology of the work of Henry Ford in the auto field.

Karl Benz

Harvey Firestone

Ransom Olds

  • Ransom E Olds - Web page with information on the life and work in the automotive field.
  • Ransom Olds Biography - Helpful biography of one of the automotive pioneers.
  • Olds and the Assembly Line - Information on how Olds was one of the first pioneers to use the assembly line system of car building.
  • Olds and His Legacy - Useful article which provides a look at the history of Olds in the auto business.

David Buick

  • David Buick - Overview of the life and work of the auto pioneer that become one of the founders of the Buick Motor Company.
  • Buick Information - Article which provides information on the life of the Scottish-born automaker.
  • Buick Biography - Helpful article which provides background information on the work of the carmaker.

Charles Nash

Walter Chrysler

Louis Chevrolet