Automobiles are wheeled vehicles powered by internal combustion engines that are designed to run primarily on roads. They are typically designed to seat one to six people and include a variety of comfort and safety features. The scientific and technical building blocks of the automobile date back hundreds of years. In the late 1600s Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens invented a type of internal engine sparked by gunpowder, laying the groundwork for the automobile.
The automobile was an important catalyst for change in twentieth-century society. It created a new consumer goods-oriented economy that was based on high levels of car ownership and fueled the growth of steel and petroleum industries. It was the most valuable industrial product in America and provided a huge source of employment. It also helped to revolutionize the way Americans lived, socialized, and entertained themselves.
Today, automobiles have become an indispensable part of daily life and serve a multitude of purposes for families and individuals. A few of these include:
OPENS UP THE WORLD: Automobiles allow you to travel long distances with ease, opening up more work possibilities and more places for you to visit with your family or friends. This is especially helpful for those who have a family, as having a car makes it possible to visit relatives that may be living far away.
Modern cars are also more technologically advanced than their predecessors. They feature self-starters, closed all-steel bodies, high-compression engines, hydraulic brakes, syncromesh transmissions, and low-pressure balloon tires. However, market saturation and technological stagnation during the 1930s caused innovation to slow down to a crawl and was not as dramatic as it had once been.