The World’s Biggest Blessing

Every day almost 93% of the United States population uses an automobile. I mean how did you get to school today? Did you drive yourself, did your parents drive you, or did you take the bus? Now you may be thinking what about those of us who walked here or rode our bikes. Well although I didn’t forget about you guys, I do have sympathy for you. Walking somewhere can take more than twelve times the amount of time than driving. What I am talking about today affects every single one of us. Everyday we have the privilege of traveling to work, extracurriculars, and restaurants within minutes. And without extracting any physical activity. Not to mention automobiles also stock our groceries and deliver products straight to our houses. The invention of the car reaches across the world changing our day to day lives for the better. I have been researching the invention of the car for awhile now. I have read several government articles and have an extensive amount of personal experience with this invention. Throughout this process I have learned even more about the importance of the automobile and soon so will you! This blog will be examining the history and impact of the automobile. I will provide you all with credible sources and perspectives on the greatest invention in the last two hundred years.

As I was stating before, the automobile not only transports us to both short and far distances in a speedy amount of time, they also supply us with necessities we need to live. For example some trucks carry food and materials, others transport concrete, and some even handle gasoline. Think about how often automobiles benefit us even when you’re not physically in the car. Have you ever had mulch delivered to your house or called the ambulance for somebody around you. These are just some obvious examples of tasks that would not be possible without the automobile. Unfortunately the history of the automobile is not a straightforward one. Who actually invented the automobile has always been debated. In the 15th century Leonardo da Vinci created designs for transport vehicles. But then in 1885 Karl Benz invented the first physical automobile. Many honorable mentions go to Thomas Savery in 1698 for creating a steam powered carriage that went about 2 miles per hour. But in reality Karl benz alongside Gottlieb Daimler invented the first true automobile. With a gas powered engine, a steering wheel, and three tires. All models created after that have followed somewhat of the same pattern. After Benz’s creation automobiles were extremely expensive and only truly available to the wealthy. That was until Henry Ford came up with the assembly line in 1913. Once mass production became popular automobiles became accessible to the average family. The book, “The invention of Automobiles,” By Karam Andrew argues that “the internal combustion engine and the automobile are among the most significant inventions in human history. The engine itself revolutionized all forms of transportation and had far-reaching impacts on society.” The automotive infrastructure gives jobs to millions of people across the world. Car dealerships, repair places, car washes and so much more. Not to mention all the materials needed to create a car that employs underground miners and factory workers. But the true benefit of the automobile has always been efficiency. Not only can you drive a car across the country to get wherever you want but you can also take different forms of automobiles including buses, trains, and subways.

One of the many reasons automobiles are the most important invention in our society is the jobs they provide us with. On the website “Roll Call,” they mention that “Manufacturing traditionally has the highest “multiplier effect” of any sector of the economy because it requires a lot of capital investment to purchase all the machines and raw materials that make the automotives built in factories.” The multiplier effect is a change in a particular input of the economy, an example being government spending. Which then causes a gross increase in that product. With that being said automakers are one of the largest purchases of metal helping basic industries such as minors. Automanufactors also employ industrial factory lines along with Centers for Automotive Research. This includes engineers, managers, and researchers. The automotive industry is responsible for 7.25 million jobs overall in the U.S. economy alone. Automobiles also have given us the freedom to travel to both close and far locations in a rapid amount of time. As stated in an Urban Country Article, “Motor cars are a symbol of freedom – a way to achieve personal independence. They take us places where we couldn’t otherwise travel – they bring us to our destinations faster, where we don’t need to abide by a schedule or rely on anybody else to become mobile.” The automobile has provided us with a freedom like no other. We can move across the country, and even out of it, all on our own time. I mean come on every 16 year old waits for the moment to gain that freedom of getting their license.

With all of this being said if we stop the progression of the automobile we will be doing a disservice to our world. As we all know the car has an enormous amount of benefits but the car also burns fossil fuels, such as gasoline, that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Resulting in climate change. Now we as a society have developed tremendously. The invention of the automobile was a

huge milestone. But what we need to do now is start leaning on our newer developments such as the electric car. Elon Musk’s company is famous for their new zero emission technology. And as we’ve seen Amazon has now also moved over to zero emission transportation on their trucks. I completely understand that changing from gas to chargers can be a scary jump. But as a society we need to move forward and better our inventions. There are hybrid models available that are both part gas and electric. But don’t be fooled into thinking Tesla is the only brand with this modern technology. Companies such as Hyuandi, Chevrolet, Audi, Jaguar, Kia, and BMW also have their own models.

The automobile has benefited the lives of millions not only by creating jobs but also giving us freedom. It is the best invention of the last 200 years. We went over the complex history of the car, the beneficial factors of freedom and jobs given to us by the automobile. And the new innovation associated with the car that will help our environment. If we do not continue to progress in the automobile industry there will be negative affects on our society. The automobile drives you around everyday and even benefits you when you’re not in the car. Why would it not be one of the greatest inventions. The automobile has single handedly changed our lives and excelterated our society. As we move forward to more environmentally safe exhausts it will be sure to benefit us for another 200 years.