We all know that necessity, intellect, and free will are the elements that made humankind the dominant species on Earth, but as far as evolution is concerned, the 20th century changed us the most. Two world-encompassing wars, antibiotics, nuclear power, the airplane, television, the back-and-forth between Russia and America in the space race, the end of segregation and colonialism, the Internet, West versus East; plenty of groundbreaking moments and inventions define this period, changing our ways of living like no other era before it.
Have you noticed that something’s missing from the list? The automobile could be seen as a personal means of transportation by some and as a luxury by others, yet we’re missing the point here. In the context of the early-to-mid 1900s, the automobile is what freed us from the horse-drawn carriage, boat, and train, allowing us to roam free like no other invention in history.
I do believe the car is the greatest liberator of man (and woman) ever, the most important general-purpose invention from that era. Henry Ford democratized the automobile with the introduction of the Model T, then Volkswagen launched the Beetle in extremely different circumstances but with the same purpose as Ford three decades earlier. The German people were enticed by the dream of owning a car on a different level as well thanks to the Autobahn conceived by the Weimar Republic back in the mid 1920s.
Coincidence or not, the United States Numbered Highway System was also founded in the ‘20s as the more comfortable and faster alternative to early auto trails. But wait a second, don't these road networks limit our driving options? The answer to that is yes, and for me, it’s not exactly liberating to drive behind fast-lane hoggers or listen to Lil’ Something on the radio while stuck in the daily traffic jam in the exhaust fumes of others.
But on the other hand, certain types of automobiles aren’t limited to driving exclusively on the blacktop. While I do refer to 4x4 utility vehicles, I am certainly not alluding to what the British call green laning. The concept of a go-anywhere vehicle for everyone came to be as a result of War World II and the Willys–Overland Motor Company.
I do believe the car is the greatest liberator of man (and woman) ever, the most important general-purpose invention from that era. Henry Ford democratized the automobile with the introduction of the Model T, then Volkswagen launched the Beetle in extremely different circumstances but with the same purpose as Ford three decades earlier. The German people were enticed by the dream of owning a car on a different level as well thanks to the Autobahn conceived by the Weimar Republic back in the mid 1920s.
Coincidence or not, the United States Numbered Highway System was also founded in the ‘20s as the more comfortable and faster alternative to early auto trails. But wait a second, don't these road networks limit our driving options? The answer to that is yes, and for me, it’s not exactly liberating to drive behind fast-lane hoggers or listen to Lil’ Something on the radio while stuck in the daily traffic jam in the exhaust fumes of others.
But on the other hand, certain types of automobiles aren’t limited to driving exclusively on the blacktop. While I do refer to 4x4 utility vehicles, I am certainly not alluding to what the British call green laning. The concept of a go-anywhere vehicle for everyone came to be as a result of War World II and the Willys–Overland Motor Company.
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