January 29th is World Automobile Day. The word “automobile” has two roots: the Greek “autos,” meaning “self,” and Latin “mobilis,” meaning “movable.”
In other words, a car is an object that can move itself!
The automobile industry helps provide jobs for millions of people around the globe and makes an important contribution to our economy. In fact, in 2017 there were 1 billion cars on Earth—that’s about one for every seven people!
The first self-propelled road vehicle was invented by German engineer Karl Benz in 1885. His car was made of steel and used an internal combustion engine, which is a machine that burns fuel to create energy. Benz built his first car in 1886. It was called the “Benz Patent Motor Car.” This car had many innovations, including a steering wheel and brakes that were controlled by hand levers.
Benz’s car was a great success, and many other people began building cars. Soon there were many different types of self-propelled vehicles on the roads. In 1926, American inventor Charles Kettering invented the electric starter motor, which helped make cars easier to start.
Kettering’s electric starter motor made cars more popular than ever. It was especially helpful for women, who often couldn’t start a car by hand because they didn’t have strong enough muscles.
In the early 1900s, cars were made of wood and metal. They had no windshields, airbags or seat belts to protect people from accidents. Many people died in car crashes because they weren’t wearing seat belts or they weren’t driving carefully enough.
