Cassels Garage

Who Invented The Automobile?

Published on December 16, 2015
Who Invented The Automobile?

We all learn about inventors and inventions in history class, but it seems that there is some incongruity when you consider the modern significance of an invention and the likelihood that you will know the inventor’s name. For example, history students often learn that Jethro Tull invented the seed drill, but few 21st century Americans have used one. On the other hand, everyone is acquainted with televisions, but few can name the inventor. Automobiles are another example. It is difficult to imagine an invention that had a more transformative effect than the automobile in the twentieth century, yet few can accurately name the inventor.

Students often name Henry Ford, but he did not invent the automobile. He deserves credit for the mass-production innovations that made his Model T affordable to the masses. Before that, cars were seen as a rich person’s indulgence, but they had been available for a generation before Ford began using the assembly line to produce them.

The problem with identifying the inventor of the automobile is that it was not a once and for all invention with a defining moment like Alexander Graham Bell had with the telephone. The automobile’s invention was more like an evolution with a committee of innovators, many with names that are still familiar to car enthusiasts: Benz, Daimler, Porsche. Others made their contributions, but are not remembered except in the history books. In fact you could trace the development of the automobile by analyzing the different eras based upon the method of propulsion. Leonardo da Vinci was drawing models of vehicles with wheels in the 15th century. Karl Benz from Germany is generally credited with patenting the first true gasoline-powered automobile in 1885 or 1886.

Whoever deserves credit for the invention, we are all beneficiaries of the convenience offered by our vehicles. Like horses before them, our vehicles need care and maintenance. Every car owner needs a trustworthy mechanic to help maintain your vehicle or vehicles.

Cassels Garage in West Melbourne, Florida is a family-owned shop that is well equipped to diagnose and repair your car. You can count on a fair price, and you can depend on us to perform the repairs that your vehicle actually needs.

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