From Braking Tests To Highways And Wipers | In Wheel Time bölümünün tam dökümü

WEBVTT 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:09.919 For the Texas Gulf Coast, this is in wheel time. 00:00:10.720 --> 00:00:13.359 Cars, people, and places. 00:00:14.480 --> 00:00:16.640 Time now to take a look at our feature. 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.760 This week in automotive history, a look at the week ahead. 00:00:22.719 --> 00:00:26.320 I'm Michael Mars, so let's get right to it. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:38.960 Coming up, we're going to start with long before antelock brakes and electronic stability control, engineers were trying to answer a surprisingly basic question. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:42.799 How much distance does a vehicle really need to stop? 00:00:43.280 --> 00:00:50.079 On November the 8th, 1949, the Federal Public Roads Administration began a series of braking tests along U.S. 00:00:50.240 --> 00:00:53.200 Highway 40 near Elkton, Maryland. 00:00:54.079 --> 00:00:56.560 Cars and trucks were selected from regular traffic. 00:00:56.719 --> 00:01:01.600 They were weighed and subject to three emergency stops from 20 miles an hour. 00:01:02.320 --> 00:01:04.959 The testing continued on into December. 00:01:05.120 --> 00:01:08.799 They were gathering information about real-world braking performance. 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:15.040 It was an early example of how the research that eventually helped shape modern vehicle safety standards. 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:22.319 November the 9th, 1921, President Warren G. 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:29.359 Harding signed the Federal Aid Highway Act, helping to establish the framework for America's modern highway network. 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:41.760 Instead of scattering federal funding across countless roads, the legislation concentrated assistance on a connected system representing approximately 7% of each state's road mileage. 00:01:41.920 --> 00:01:47.840 The goal was to create routes that could carry people, freight, and commerce between the communities. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:55.040 It was an important step toward coordinated national highway planning decades before the interstate highway system. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:02:01.680 For an automobile industry that was rapidly expanding, better roads meant something equally important. 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:05.200 It's more places for Americans to drive. 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:14.240 Imagine if you would driving through a rainstorm and having to stop every few minutes to clear the windshield. 00:02:14.479 --> 00:02:25.280 On November the 10th, 1903, this is for you ladies, Mary Anderson received a patent for manually operated windshield cleaning device. 00:02:25.520 --> 00:02:30.159 Now this was inspired by watching streetcar operators struggle with rain and snow. 00:02:30.400 --> 00:02:36.479 She developed a rubber-bladed arm that could be controlled from inside the vehicle. 00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:43.680 Her invention was initially met with skepticism, and she never really enjoyed the commercial success it deserved. 00:02:43.919 --> 00:02:49.280 But the basic principle eventually became standard equipment on automobiles worldwide. 00:02:49.439 --> 00:02:57.199 More than a century later, we're still using a refined version of an idea that solved a simple, everyday driving problem. 00:02:57.919 --> 00:03:06.400 On November the 12th, 1908, General Motors expanded its young automotive empire by acquiring Oldsmobile. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:07.280 William C. 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:15.759 Durant had organized GM just two months earlier, bringing Buick into what would become one of the world's largest automobile companies. 00:03:16.080 --> 00:03:24.080 Oldsmobile added an established manufacturer with a recognizable name and considerable engineering experience. 00:03:24.240 --> 00:03:33.039 Over the following decades, Oldsmobile would introduce a lot of important innovations, including the hydromatic automatic transmission. 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:39.439 Although the brand disappeared in 2004, its influence on American motoring remained substantial. 00:03:39.759 --> 00:03:47.919 That 1908 acquisition helped establish the multi-brand strategy that defined General Motors for much of the 20th century. 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:57.759 On November the 13th, 1940, Willis Overland delivered its prototype four-wheel drive reconnaissance vehicle to the United States Army. 00:03:58.560 --> 00:04:01.759 This was building on the pioneering work of American Bantam. 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:08.879 Willis brought a more powerful engine and the manufacturing resources needed for large-scale production. 00:04:09.120 --> 00:04:16.720 The vehicle would evolve into the famous Willis MB, serving American and Allied forces across battlefields around the world. 00:04:17.040 --> 00:04:21.519 Ford also became a major producer of the wartime Jeep components. 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:29.839 What began as an urgent military requirement eventually created one of the most recognizable automotive designs in history. 00:04:31.199 --> 00:04:34.560 That's our look at automotive history of the week ahead. 00:04:34.720 --> 00:04:38.319 I'm Michael Mars, and this is In Wheel Time. 00:04:38.480 --> 00:04:40.319 Thanks for riding along.