How the Invention of the Automobile Affected Us

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How the Invention of the Automobile Affected Us

When Karl Benz developed the Automobile in 1885, people thought that it would be a passing fad; no one at the time could have even imagined that this "motor car" would bring about a technological and economical evolution. The potential of this invention was realised during the 1890's when they became more common. People were using motorcars to travel to their destinations quicker and transport goods. During the early 1900's there were over 250 carmakers alone, more inventors emerged, tires were invented, factories opened and most importantly jobs were created.

In the 1900's cars were becoming more expensive and the average family could not afford such an invention. The invention of the production line was the answer to the problem. Developed by Ransome.E.Olds in 1901 and improved by Henry Ford, the production line was used to build large quantities of identical cars so that people could afford them. The production line was a group of people who assembled cars. Each person had a different job and as the car passed down the conveyor belts they would do the job they were required to do. The production line created jobs for many people and also helped businesses grow. Today it is an accepted fact that the automobile industry represents a huge part of the economy providing jobs for nearly 1 in six people in the U.S. This is a large amount of people employed considering the population of the U.S.A (274 million). Cars need fuel to run and as the demand of fuel became higher gas stations opened in 1910.

Many people think that Ford invented the production line but it was actually Ransome.E.Olds. Ford only improved Old's idea by installing conveyor belts. In 1908 Fords' Model T was the first car built in large quantities to a specification rather than order and the time needed to make one car went down from 12 hours to 90 minutes. Originally introduced at $850, by 1921 production was so efficient that the price dropped to $290. That year, the model T accounted for 55% of all new cars sold. For centuries a large house and fine animals were signs of wealth. In the 1900's the motorcar began to be seen as a status symbol. In 1911 cars were fitted with electric starters, which made cars more popular with the ladies. It showed that cars were becoming simpler to drive and that anyone could operate one, even women!

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