Automobiles are self-propelled vehicles that travel on roads & carry people. There are many different types of automobiles including cars, buses, trains & trucks. The branches of engineering that study the production and technology of these vehicles are called Automotive Engineering.
The automobile was one of the most revolutionary inventions in modern times. It has revolutionized the way we live our lives & it is difficult to imagine life without an automobile today. Automobiles are a part of our everyday life and we use them to transport ourselves, go shopping, take vacations & other things.
The history of the automobile started in the late 1600s when a Dutch scientist named Christiaan Huygens invented a type of internal combustion engine that was sparked by gunpowder. His invention helped to develop a horseless carriage which later became the modern automobile. The first car was developed in France in 1883 when Edouard Delamare-Deboutteville & Leon Malandin built a vehicle that was powered by an internal combustion engine. It was not until after the turn of the century that these engines were refined enough to be widely used for passenger cars. The first gasoline powered automobiles were introduced in the 1910s and they quickly dominated the market.
In the 1920s the automobile industry became a major economic force in America. It created dozens of spin-off industries and greatly increased the demand for ancillary products such as steel and petroleum. The automobile also ended rural isolation and brought urban amenities to rural areas, including better schools and medical care. It also spawned new housing developments in suburban communities and altered the architecture of the American home.
Autos are still an important part of modern life but they are no longer a progressive force for change in society. They have become a major source of pollution and they are a drain on dwindling world oil reserves. Engineering has been subordinated to the questionable aesthetics of nonfunctional styling, and quality has deteriorated to such a degree that by the mid-1960s American-made cars were being delivered to consumers with an average of twenty-four defects per vehicle.
In the early 1900s women were very bold in their use of automobiles. Nell Richardson & Alice Burke took a trip across the country in 1916 to advocate for women’s right to vote and they decorated their car with “vote for women” banners. This was a very bold move at the time because it was very rare to see women driving. Today most women own their own automobiles. This is a very good thing for society because it gives them a sense of freedom and independence that they would not have otherwise had. Most families have more than one car in their household. This is a very big thing for the economy. It also means that there are more jobs for people in the auto industry. There are even more jobs for people who work in ancillary industries. For example, the demand for vulcanized rubber has gone up greatly because of the demand for automobiles.