Automobiles in History

In the annuals of history, the automobile flashed onto the scene like a meteor, changing the entire economy and the national way-of-life. No one was really prepared for it. Generations of horse-drawn road transportation had created a complex system of industries on which the automobile had a damaging effect; everybody from horse doctors and harness-makers to blacksmiths. The continuing changes and the reasons for them are obvious to us, but probably were not so obvious to automotive pioneers. It was, after all, a learn-as-you-go process with no precedents. For every inventor who made a fortune, hundreds had their dreams crumble. Automobiles have ended the isolation of rural communities and set an example of industrial efficiency for the world to copy. It has also spoiled the cities and small towns as neighborhoods are obliterated by highways smashing through; it has polluted the environment, and caused shortages in natural resources. Yet the car itself is still the object of endless fascination.