1. steam
   fire
2. solar power

As far back as the 1770s, inventive types were hoping to make automobiles that ran on steam. But these primitive vehicles were nothing like gas versions that eventually came to rule the world.

1. Iceland
   Germany
2. Australia

In the 1880s, Karl Benz, a German entrepreneur, built the first gas-powered automobile. German and French engineers were the first to really set the industry into motion.

1. kerosene
   gasoline
2. electricity

Steam and electricity were used in some very early cars. But by 1905, the auto industry was set on gasoline as its fuel of choice, and more than a century later, gas is still king.

1. They came with leather seats.
   They could top 100 MPH.
2. They could go farther without refueling.

Gas cars, particularly the early versions, had much better range than steam or electric models. It meant that you could drive a lot farther without stopping to refuel.

1. Dodge
   Ford
2. Chevrolet

The Ford Model T is, quite simply, the most iconic car of the early American car industry. It was reliable and affordable, which made it accessible even to families of modest means.

1. about 3 years
   about 20 years
2. Ford is still making them.

For nearly 20 years, Ford cranked out Model T cars at a prodigious rate. By the time the "T" was put out to pasture, more than 15 million had been sold.

1. red
   blue
2. black

Early black paint dried faster than other colors ... meaning that Ford could make Model T cars more quickly if they stuck with that color of paint. So, for a decade, all Model Ts were black.

1. Gas engines didn’t create toxic fumes.
   Gas engines were less likely to explode.
2. Gas engines didn’t cause global warming.

Steam engines had a few pros during the early days of cars. But they would occasionally explode, something that gasoline engines typically only do in movies.

1. indentured servants
   robot workers
2. mass production

Ford didn’t invent assembly line production, but he made it an effective option in the auto industry. Soon, Ford’s mass production techniques were building cars at an astonishing rate.

1. Jeep
   Chrysler
2. General Motors

Jeep wasn’t one of the so-called "Big Three." The Big Three were Ford, Chrysler and General Motors.

1. because of WWII
   There was no steel.
2. gas shortage

Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and America immediately mobilized every heavy industry to produce war goods. From 1942 until 1945, there were no civilian vehicles made in the country.

1. “Wheels of Freedom"
   “Nazi Headquarters"
2. “Arsenal of Democracy"

During WWII, Detroit became known as the "Arsenal of Democracy." The city’s heavy concentration of car manufacturers meant that it was a vital supplier of war goods.

1. around 1880
   around 1930
2. around 1990

Steam engines gradually improved until about 1930. But the interwar years were a booming time for gasoline engines, so steam technologies were essentially mothballed.

1. Germany
   Ghana
2. South Africa

Germany, again, was a leader in auto engineering, especially when it came to electrics. In 1888, an engineer named Andreas Flocken made a working electric vehicle that’s generally regarded as the world’s first.

1. It created the first rubber tires.
   It was the world’s first car company.
2. It built nothing but radiators.

Founded in 1891, Panhard was the first company to build nothing but cars. The company has been through many changes in its long life, but it is still in manufacturing today.

1. 45 MPH
   72 MPH
2. 127 MPH

The steam-powered Stanley Steamer completed a one-mile journey in just 28 seconds in 1906. The car’s top speed was around 127 MPH, fast even by today’s standards.

1. drive across America in a car
   die in a car crash
2. create a remote-control car

Jackson and his partner Sewall Crocker were the very first people to drive all the way across America in a car. They started on May 23, 1903 and headed east from San Francisco.

1. 1 week
   29 hours
2. 63 days

In a time when paved roads were still rare, particularly in the West, the cross-country trip was a wild ordeal. It took Jackson and his mechanic 63 days to go from San Francisco to New York City.

1. He created a standard work week.
   He allowed child labor.
2. He tried to bring back slavery.

Ford didn’t just make car manufacturing more efficient, he also changed American labor, providing a standard work week schedule and better pay and benefits.

1. USSR
   Korea
2. Japan

After decades of American dominance, Japan took the lead in car manufacturing in 1980. In all corners of the United States, businessmen and politicians sounded the alarm.

1. 35 hp
   112 hp
2. 321 hp

The 1901 Mercedes was simply called the Mercedes 35 hp, which denoted its horsepower rating. It was a true car instead of the stagecoach-like versions that preceded it.

1. racing
   farming
2. demolition derby

Even in the earliest days of cars, engineers wanted the machines to go faster and faster. The 35 hp model was a racing machine that was later refined for civilian use.

1. $600
   $6,000
2. $16,000

In 1906, the Model N cost $600, making it a truly affordable option for many Americans. After accounting for inflation, $600 would be around $16,600 today.

1. GM
   Chevy
2. Honda

Starting in the 1920s, GM began pushing styling and "newness" as a car selling point. The idea was to condition people into buying new vehicles regularly even though their older cars still suited their needs. "Planned obsolescence" is still very much a profit driver in the car industry.

1. Honda
   Isuzu
2. Kia

In 1982, Honda was selling so many cars in America that it simply began making them there. The first factory opened in Marysville, Ohio.

1. Cars were equipped with machine guns, just in case.
   Newly married couples drove tanks instead of cars.
2. Travel dropped dramatically.

Because tires and gasoline were restricted by rationing, civilian motor vehicle travel plummeted. Few people had the means or money to use a car regularly during the war.

1. Honda Accord
   Jeep Wrangler
2. VW Beetle

As Hitler sharpened his Third Reich, he realized that the German people needed affordable motor vehicles. He dreamed up what eventually became the Volkwagen Beetle, which became the world’s best-selling car.

1. VW
   Honda
2. Tesla

In 1968, VW broke trail as the first company to include a computer it is models. The computer was used to control the electronic fuel injection system.

1. True
2. False

It’s true, after 20 years in production, the Model T was far cheaper than it was in the early days. In the mid-20s, you could buy a coupe Model T for less than $300, about half of the initial cost.

1. Subaru Outback
   Chevy Caprice
2. Toyota Corolla

The compact and fuel-efficient Toyota Corolla was introduced in 1973. Since then, Toyota has sold more than 40 million of these little cars, making them the best-selling vehicle in history.