The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1800s, though Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry in the first half of the twentieth century.
Henry Ford innovated mass-production techniques that became standard, and Ford, General Motors and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s. Manufacturers funneled their resources to the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in Europe and Japan soared to meet growing demand.
Once vital to the expansion of American urban centers, the industry had become a shared global enterprise with the rise of Japan as the leading automaker by 1980.
Here is a amazing photo collection from Gordon Morales that shows people with automobiles in the early 20th century.
An old electric car, perhaps an old Baker Electric or Studebaker Electric, Los Angeles, California, circa 1900s
Women in an early Hybrid Krieger automobile, circa 1900s
Three women in a 1906 REO
A Standard Oil Company Gasoline refueling truck with two men seated inside the cab. San Francisco Bay Area, circa 1910s
Alhambra Water Delivery in Oakland, California. The Alhambra Water Co. is still in operation to this day, 1910
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