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The History of Automobiles

The automobiles that used by almost everyone around the world nowadays were not created in a single day by a single inventor. In fact, its evolution took place over centuries with contributions from over a hundred thousand bright minds from all corners of the planet. Nevertheless, there are some notable figures in this technological advancement.

It all started with the theoretical plans for motor-powered vehicles that were plotted by both Isaac Newton and Leonardo da Vinci. After which, in around 1769, a French engineer and mechanic, Nicolas Joseph Cugnot, used his own ideas and skills to create the very first self-propelled road machine. Being powered by a steam engine, the French army found it very effective to use this automobile as a military tractor used to haul artillery at speeds of over two and a half miles per hour, which was an amazing feat back then.

A few years later, Frenchman Onesiphore Pecqueur improved Cugnot's vehicle and invented the very first differential gear. On the other side of the world, Oliver Evans started the development of steam-powered vehicles in the United States around 1789. Great Britain also had its share in the evolution of carriages powered by steam. Richard Trevithick invented the first locomotive in the world, which resulted in the development of Britain's railroad system.

Almost a century later, automobile evolution took another big step as Nicolaus Augusto Otto, a German, built an effective gas motor engine, which people nowadays basically call a four-stroke internal combustion engine. He was then followed by brilliant inventors, namely Gottlieb Daimler, Karl Benz, John Lambert, and Henry Ford, who all took part in slowly developing and manufacturing newer and more effective vehicle designs.

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