The world’s first electric traffic signal (above) was put into place
on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland,
Ohio, on August 5, 1914.

In the earliest days of the automobile, navigating America’s roads
was a chaotic experience, with pedestrians, bicycles, horses and streetcars all competing with motor vehicles for right of way. The problem was alleviated somewhat with the gradual disappearance
of horse-drawn carriages, but even before World War I it had
become clear that a system of regulations was necessary to keep
traffic moving and reduce the number of accidents on the roads.

Ernest Pfenning of Chicago (above) became Ford’s first car owner – 23 July 1903.

On July 15, 1903, the newly formed Ford Motor Company took its
first order from Chicago dentist Ernst Pfenning: an $850 two-
cylinder Model A automobile with a tonneau (or backseat). The car, produced at Ford’s plant on Mack Street (now Mack Avenue) in
Detroit, was delivered to Dr. Pfenning just over a week later.

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947)

On June 28, 1953, workers at a Chevrolet plant in Flint, Michigan, assembled
the first Corvette, a two-seater sports car that would become an American
icon. The first completed production car rolled off the assembly line two
days later, one of just 300 Corvettes made that year.

The idea for the vehicle originated with General Motors’ pioneering designer Harley J. Earl, who in 1951 began developing plans for a
low-cost American sports car that could compete with Europe’s
MGs, Jaguars and Ferraris.

On June 8, 1948, a hand-built aluminum prototype labeled “No. 1″ became
the first vehicle to bear the name of one of the world’s leading luxury car
manufacturers: Porsche.

The Austrian automotive engineer Ferdinand Porsche debuted his
first design at the World’s Fair in Paris in 1900. The electric vehicle
set several Austrian land-speed records, reaching more than 35 mph
and earning international acclaim for the young engineer.

Ferdinand Porsche
(September 3, 1875 – January 30, 1951)

On May 30, 1911, Ray Harroun (above) dove his single-seater
Marmon Wasp to victory in the inaugural Indianapolis 500,
now one of the world’s most famous motor racing events.

The Indiana automobile dealer Carl Fisher first proposed
building a private auto testing facility in 1906, in order to
address car manufacturers’ inability to test potential top
speeds of new cars due to the poorly developed state of
the public roadways. The result, the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway, built on 328 acres of farmland five miles
northwest of downtown Indianapolis.

Ray Harroun (January 12, 1879 – January 19, 1968)

Harroun’s original Marmon “Wasp” on display at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway Museum.