US Automotive Firsts, 1893-1920

U.S. Automotive Firsts, 1893-1920

1893 – Duryea – 1^st Car Built in the US

1898 – Winton – 1^st Car Sold in US

1901 – Autocar – 1^st Shaft-driven US Car

1901 – Olds – 1^st Volume Produced Car

1903 – Winton – 1^st Car to Cross US

1903 Rambler – 1^st Standard Windshield

1905 – Ignition Locks

1905 – Packard – Magneto Ignition

1906 – Front Bumpers Appear

1907 – 1^st Service Station in US

Standard Oil Company's Service Station in Seattle, 1907. Courtesy UW Special Collections

1907 – First Demountable Rims

1908 – Rambler – 1^st Spare Tire

1911 – Cadillac – 1^st Self Starter

Charles Kettering with the first electric self-starter, installed on a Cadillac for the first time Feb. 17. 1911

1913 – Ford – 1^st Moving Assembly Line

1914 – 1^st Spiral-Bevel Rear Axles

1914 – Maxwell – 1^st Adjustable Seat

1916 – 1^st Hand-Operated Windshield Wipers
1916 – 1^st Standard Stop Lights on Some Cars

1917 – 1^st Battery Under Hood

1919 – Detroit – 1^st 3 color traffic lights