Take a behind-the-scenes look at American creativity and amazing inventions that began right here in the United States.
Welcome to America Comes Alive!, a site I created to share little-known stories of America’s past.
These stories are about Americans—people just like you—who have made a difference and changed the course of history. Look around the site and find what inspires you.
0
When Gasoline-Powered Cars Were First Used, Where Did They Get Gasoline?
This fall I taught a class at the Osher Institute at UCLA; the class was called American Moments and one day I was talking about early automobiles and why gas-powered engines became the norm instead of electric-powered, which were also being made in the early 1900s.
“Where did people buy gasoline?” asked a member of my class.
I didn’t know the answer, but I promised to look into it before the next class. The best information I could find was that before there were gas stations, drivers could buy gasoline in canisters at a general store. None of us were totally satisfied, but that was what I could find.
I should have thought of calling the Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Today in the Wall Street Journal there was a review of the newly revamped museum, and my attention was riveted by these sentences:
“Gasoline engines were initially troublesome because they were smelly, noisy and often broke down. Also, gasoline was hard to find. That changed in 1901 when oil was discovered in Texas. There were still no gas stations, but a picture here from the early 20th century shows a home-heating-oil truck also delivering gasoline. Even though they had to carry gasoline cans when taking longer trips, drivers liked the unlimited range of cars propelled by a gasoline-powered, internal-combustion engine. “
So there it is! A much more satisfactory answer to how early drivers obtained gas for powering their cars.
For more information on early cars, see “Auto Sales Stimulus, 1909.“
When Point-and-Shoot Began: The Brownie Camera
Today we don’t even need to remember to take our cameras. We simply pull out our phones and take pictures of anything from a tourist site we’re visiting to an item in a store where we’d like to send it to someone for an opinion. Point-shoot-and-send… picture-taking has become so easy.
Then and Now: International Harvester Trucks
The other day at The Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles, I came upon this wonderful International Harvester truck, and I thought it would be fun to post a “then” and “now.”
Mae West Life Preserver: Countless Owe Lives to It
Most of the time, it’s the little things that count.
America As It Once Was: A Daily Gift
Author and historian David C. McCullough has said, “History is who we are and why we are the way we are.”
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner: A Postscript
In Washington, D.C. this weekend for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, I have three experiences to share with you, each of which has been changed by the news of the success of the daring plan to bring down Osama bin Laden.
