Automobile Timeline

By jmccaskill

  • first self propelled car was made

    first self propelled car was made
    The exact date is unkown, but the first self propelled car was made by Nicolas Cugnot in 1769. Nicolas Cugnot was a French military engineer who developed the "steam powered road- vehicle."

  • Britain's improvement to the steam powered car

    Britain's improvement to the steam powered car
    Richard Trevithick improved the design of steam engines, by making the engines smaller and lighter with stronger boilers, thus making more power. His new invention was the first steam powered car powerful enough to carry passengers.

  • English helped out too

    English helped out too
    English engineer, Samuel Brown invented an engine to burn a mixture of oxygen hydrogen gas, making it even more powerful.

  • First coal-ga engine was made

    First coal-ga engine was made
    Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir developed a two-stroke, internal combustion engine. It was fueled by coal gas and started by a electric spark-ignition.

  • First Speed limits

    First Speed limits
    The first speed limit was set in the UK limiting the drivers to only go 2 MPH, which held for 30 years.

  • Four Stroke engine was made

    August Otto invented the four-stroke engine, thus improving the car technology.

  • First Car dealer was formed

    First Car dealer was formed
    Rene Panhard and Emile Levassor set up the worlds first car dealer.

  • Cylinders were made

    Cylinders were made
    Wilhelm Maybach built the first four-cylinder, four-stroke engine. Three years later, he made the first spray-nozzle carburettor, Then ten years later, he developed a race car using lightweight materials with a 35-hp four-cylinder engine and two carburettors. Named the Mercedes, the car reached 40MPH, shattering the world speed record.

  • Charles Kettering

    Charles Kettering
    Charles Kettering invented the electric ignition and starter motor, allowing cars to start themselves. He then later introduced independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. He was a very busy man.

  • Regulations were required

    Regulations were required
    Controls on harmful emissions soon became introduced around the world. Safety devices also became mandatory, suck as the seat belt.

  • Antilock breaks were invented

    Antilock breaks were invented
    The first antilock braking systems were developed for cars by the German manufacurers, Bosch.

  • Cars go green

    Cars go green
    People found out that oil will run out in the future; they now started developing engines that use more than one fuel source.