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Car History Film Clips
How Many Americans Had Cars in the 1920s? (Current Opinion, 1922)
The post-World War I American economy was humming along quite nicely when an inquisitive journalist took notice as to how many more cars there were on the streets (all told, there were 7.5 million, to say nothing as to the ample amount of NJ used trucks). Perhaps there were no written studies documenting what we now call 'the order of durable goods' - that dependable yardstick we use to measure American opulence, and so this investigative journalist came up with a different way of figuring out just how many cars Americans could purchase -and we're mighty glad he did!
| Women Drivers Vindicated (Literary Digest, 1936)
Attached is a magazine article concerning the on-going debate regarding women drivers and the continuing balderdash as to which of the genders is the better driver: the issue was decided in 1936 and the men lost:
"A woman driver! You might have known."
"Thus the cynical chant of many a male motorist when a woman errs, slightly or seriously, in maneuvering her car." "But the gibe has no basis in fact, according to the report of a university professor who took the trouble to find out. Armed with statistics, he asserts that the female of the motoring species is not nearly so deadly as the male. Only six percent of highway accidents involve women drivers..."
| The Town Cars of 1922 (Harper's Bazaar, 1922)
This is a quick read from a 1920s HARPER'S BAZAAR comparing the European and American limousines (a.k.a., 'coupe, town car, cabriolet'); these were the luxurious looking vehicles that we've all seen in pictures from that period in which the chauffeur was expected to perform his duties without the benefit of a roof over his head. The uncredited journalist talks about where cars such as these are likely to be found, their interiors, tufted seating upholstery, basket weaving applications, leather casings and more.Click here to read about the first car radios. Click here to read a magazine profile of W.W. I fighter ace Captain Eddy Rickenbacker.
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| The Social Value of the Car (Literary Digest, 1908)
John Walter Edward Douglas-Scott-Montagu, 2nd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu (1866 - 1929), Member of Parliament, publisher of THE CAR and all-around advocate for the internal combustion engine gave an address in which he extolled the virtues of the automobile in societal evolution. Some of the virtues are just plain quaint while others touch upon elements of Edwardian life we would never consider. Lord Montagu innocently believed that motorists would play a part as unofficial ambassadors; traveling abroad, joyfully chatting with one and all and thereby decreasing the chances of a European war.
He would have been surprised to know what an active roll the automobile played throughout both world wars.
| Cars vs. Horses (The American Review of Reviews, 1910)
An interesting look at the rising number of cars and the decreasing amount of horses that were put to use in Britain, France and the United States.
"In the American confederation it is estimated that there are more than 130,000 automobiles, besides some 35,000 motor trucks, delivery wagons, etc., and 150,000 motor cycles and tricycles. Eight years ago the number of automobiles in the United States did not exceed 6,000."
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