Regis Philbin
Feb 25th, 2009, 07:44 PM
http://www.livescience.com/history/090225-obama-car-gaffe.html
Obama Gaffe: America Didn't Invent Automobile
By LiveScience Staff
Horseless buggy made by Charles and Frank Duryea, 1893. The first practical gasoline automobile built in the United States. Credit: Library of Congress.
President Obama's speech to Congress last night might have emphasized urgency over historical accuracy when he stated, "And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."
Many inventors contributed to the rise of the car in modern-day life. But the U.S. Library of Congress credits German inventor Karl Benz with creating the first true automobile that ran on an internal combustion engine.
Benz came out with his patented car around 1885, or about the same time when fellow Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach produced a four-wheeled automobile with a four-stroke engine. The names of these inventors live on in modern car companies such as Daimler AG and its Mercedes-Benz division.
By contrast, U.S. automotive pioneer Henry Ford did not start rolling out his mass-produced Model T cars until 1908. His claim to fame lies in popularizing automobiles as a common form of transportation, according to the Henry Ford Museum. Pedestrians and bikers may not thank him as much.
Obama Gaffe: America Didn't Invent Automobile
By LiveScience Staff
Horseless buggy made by Charles and Frank Duryea, 1893. The first practical gasoline automobile built in the United States. Credit: Library of Congress.
President Obama's speech to Congress last night might have emphasized urgency over historical accuracy when he stated, "And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."
Many inventors contributed to the rise of the car in modern-day life. But the U.S. Library of Congress credits German inventor Karl Benz with creating the first true automobile that ran on an internal combustion engine.
Benz came out with his patented car around 1885, or about the same time when fellow Germans Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach produced a four-wheeled automobile with a four-stroke engine. The names of these inventors live on in modern car companies such as Daimler AG and its Mercedes-Benz division.
By contrast, U.S. automotive pioneer Henry Ford did not start rolling out his mass-produced Model T cars until 1908. His claim to fame lies in popularizing automobiles as a common form of transportation, according to the Henry Ford Museum. Pedestrians and bikers may not thank him as much.