Coffee With Jim

Forgotten pioneers, the women of the auto industry, is a fascinating chapter in the American story. Did you know that the heater that keeps you warm on the winter morning commute in Detroit was the brainchild of Margaret A, Wilcox? Florence Lawrence was a Hollywood pioneer and one of the first superstars of the silver screen. And she was also an automotive pioneer credited with the first turn signal device and first brake warning device.

The more I delved into this story about the dawning of the auto age, and the visionary pioneers that helped put the world on wheels, the more fascinating it became. Are you familiar with the name Helen Dryden or Marie Luhring? Wait until you hear a bit of their story!

Sharing America's story, it's what we do! 

In the blink of an eye. In 1893 the first American automobiles manufactured for sale slowly rolled from the factory. The circus gave it top billing at the side show. Five years later the first automobile race took place in Chicago. In 1900 forty manufacturers gathered in New York City for the first automobile show. And in 1906, a steam powered Stanley was driven to a new record, nearly 150 miles per hour. The world was on the cusp of dramatic change. 

The manure crisis gave way to air pollution and traffic congestion. Our national lexicon was transformed. The roadside was transformed. Industry and travel were transformed. Farming was transformed. America was transformed with a technological revolution and cycles of evolution continue today.