Who Invented The Car

The question of who invented the car does not yield a clean cut answer. Before we arrived at modern day vehicles, inventors fiddled with various self-propelled vehicles. Eventually, by harnessing the power of the combustion engine, humanity would push the limits of mobility.

In 1769, French engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot invented the first self-propelled vehicle. The steam-powered machine ran on three wheels and moved at a breakneck speed of 2.5 miles per hour. Its purpose was to cart heavy cannons for the French army; however, the military later gave up on Cugnot's innovative yet sluggish invention.

Later on in history, Robert Anderson invented an electric car in Scotland. No one knows the exact year that Anderson unveiled his creation, but experts believe it occurred between 1832 and 1839. Inventors fashioned less crude electric cars throughout the early 1840’s.

In 1859,  Belgian inventor Jean Joseph Étienne Lenoir developed the two-stroke internal combustion engine. It was powered by gas from coals. This invention would soon aid engineers in developing cars.

Two German inventors, Karl Friedrich Benz and Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler take most of the credit for inventing the first true cars in 1885 and 1886. These magnificent contraptions utilized internal combustion engines powered by liquid gasoline. The cars of Benz and Daimler are direct ancestors of the cars we see on today’s roads.

The next time you sit behind the wheel, buckle up and turn the ignition, give a little thanks to these great men. Without their imaginative planning and mechanical tinkering, you'd be trying to hitch a ride on the nearest horse-drawn carriage.