1.
United States
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Forty-eight of the fifty states and the federal district are contiguous and located in North America between Canada and Mexico. The state of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east, the state of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U. S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean, the geography, climate and wildlife of the country are extremely diverse. At 3.8 million square miles and with over 324 million people, the United States is the worlds third- or fourth-largest country by area, third-largest by land area. It is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, paleo-Indians migrated from Asia to the North American mainland at least 15,000 years ago. European colonization began in the 16th century, the United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the following the Seven Years War led to the American Revolution. On July 4,1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the United States by Great Britain, representing the first successful war of independence against a European power. The current constitution was adopted in 1788, after the Articles of Confederation, the first ten amendments, collectively named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties. During the second half of the 19th century, the American Civil War led to the end of slavery in the country. By the end of century, the United States extended into the Pacific Ocean. The Spanish–American War and World War I confirmed the status as a global military power. The end of the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 left the United States as the sole superpower. The U. S. is a member of the United Nations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organization of American States. The United States is a developed country, with the worlds largest economy by nominal GDP. It ranks highly in several measures of performance, including average wage, human development, per capita GDP. While the U. S. economy is considered post-industrial, characterized by the dominance of services and knowledge economy, the United States is a prominent political and cultural force internationally, and a leader in scientific research and technological innovations. In 1507, the German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller produced a map on which he named the lands of the Western Hemisphere America after the Italian explorer and cartographer Amerigo Vespucci
2.
Savannah, Georgia
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Savannah is the oldest city in the U. S. state of Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia, a strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgias fifth-largest city and third-largest metropolitan area, Downtown Savannah largely retains the original town plan prescribed by founder James Oglethorpe. Savannah was the host city for the sailing competitions during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta. On February 12,1733, General James Oglethorpe and settlers from the ship Anne landed at Yamacraw Bluff and were greeted by Tomochichi, the Yamacraws, Mary Musgrove often served as an interpreter. The city of Savannah was founded on that date, along with the colony of Georgia, in 1751, Savannah and the rest of Georgia became a Royal Colony and Savannah was made the colonial capital of Georgia. By the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, Savannah had become the southernmost commercial port of the Thirteen Colonies, British troops took the city in 1778, and the following year a combined force of American and French soldiers failed to rout the British at the Siege of Savannah. The British did not leave the city until July 1782, Savannah, a prosperous seaport throughout the nineteenth century, was the Confederacys sixth most populous city and the prime objective of General William T. Shermans March to the Sea. Early on December 21,1864, local authorities negotiated a surrender to save Savannah from destruction. Savannah was named for the Savannah River, which derives from variant names for the Shawnee. The Shawnee destroyed another Native people, the Westo, and occupied their lands at the head of the Savannah Rivers navigation on the fall line and these Shawnee, whose Native name was Ša·wano·ki, were known by several local variants, including Shawano, Savano, Savana and Savannah. Still other theories suggest that the name Savannah originates from Algonquian terms meaning not only southerners, Savannah lies on the Savannah River, approximately 20 mi upriver from the Atlantic Ocean. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 108.7 square miles. Savannah is the port on the Savannah River and the largest port in the state of Georgia. It is also located near the U. S. Intracoastal Waterway, Georgias Ogeechee River flows toward the Atlantic Ocean some 16 miles south of downtown Savannah. Savannahs climate is classified as humid subtropical, in the Deep South, this is characterized by long and almost tropical summers and short, mild winters. Savannah records few days of freezing temperatures each year, due to its proximity to the Atlantic coast, Savannah rarely experiences temperatures as extreme as those in Georgias interior. Nevertheless, the temperatures have officially ranged from 105 °F, on July 20,1986, down to 3 °F
3.
Italy
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Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino, Italy covers an area of 301,338 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate and Mediterranean climate. Due to its shape, it is referred to in Italy as lo Stivale. With 61 million inhabitants, it is the fourth most populous EU member state, the Italic tribe known as the Latins formed the Roman Kingdom, which eventually became a republic that conquered and assimilated other nearby civilisations. The legacy of the Roman Empire is widespread and can be observed in the distribution of civilian law, republican governments, Christianity. The Renaissance began in Italy and spread to the rest of Europe, bringing a renewed interest in humanism, science, exploration, Italian culture flourished at this time, producing famous scholars, artists and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. The weakened sovereigns soon fell victim to conquest by European powers such as France, Spain and Austria. Despite being one of the victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in defeat, economic destruction. Today, Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and it has a very high level of human development and is ranked sixth in the world for life expectancy. The country plays a prominent role in regional and global economic, military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, as a reflection of its cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is the fifth most visited country. The assumptions on the etymology of the name Italia are very numerous, according to one of the more common explanations, the term Italia, from Latin, Italia, was borrowed through Greek from the Oscan Víteliú, meaning land of young cattle. The bull was a symbol of the southern Italic tribes and was often depicted goring the Roman wolf as a defiant symbol of free Italy during the Social War. Greek historian Dionysius of Halicarnassus states this account together with the legend that Italy was named after Italus, mentioned also by Aristotle and Thucydides. The name Italia originally applied only to a part of what is now Southern Italy – according to Antiochus of Syracuse, but by his time Oenotria and Italy had become synonymous, and the name also applied to most of Lucania as well. The Greeks gradually came to apply the name Italia to a larger region, excavations throughout Italy revealed a Neanderthal presence dating back to the Palaeolithic period, some 200,000 years ago, modern Humans arrived about 40,000 years ago. Other ancient Italian peoples of undetermined language families but of possible origins include the Rhaetian people and Cammuni. Also the Phoenicians established colonies on the coasts of Sardinia and Sicily, the Roman legacy has deeply influenced the Western civilisation, shaping most of the modern world
4.
Fiat Automobiles
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Fiat Automobiles S. p. A. is the largest automobile manufacturer in Italy, a subsidiary of FCA Italy S. p. A. which is part of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Fiat Automobiles S. p. A. was formed in January 2007 when Fiat reorganized its automobile business, Fiats main market is Europe, mainly focused in Italy. Historically successful in citycars and supermini sector, currently Fiat has a range of models focused on two segments. Fiat does not currently offer any large family car, nor an executive car - these market segments have, to some extent been covered by the Lancia and Alfa Romeo brands, which Fiat also owns. Fiats share of the European market shrank from 9.4 per cent in 2000 to 5.8 per cent in the summer of 2004, at this point Sergio Marchionne was appointed as Fiats chief executive. By March 2009 their market share had expanded to 9.1 per cent, Fiats built their five-story Lingotto plant in 1915 through 1918, at the time it was Europes largest car manufacturing plant. Later the Mirafiori plant was built, also in Turin, to prepare for production of the all-new Fiat 128, Fiat opened their Rivalta plant in October 1968. Until the 128 entered production, the plant was used to build versions of the 850 and 124 as well as parts for the Fiat Dino. Fiats 2014 range of car engines comprised eleven units, eight petrols. The second generation Punto was a seller in the UK after its October 1999 launch. The original Fiat 500 had been one of the few competitors for the iconic Mini during its 1960s heyday. Fiat has invested for a time in South America, mainly in Brazil. They built their first Brazilian car plant in the Greater Belo Horizonte city of Betim in 1973, recently a brand new model developed in Brazil has been launched, the Fiat Uno. Other European models are imported to Brazil, Fiat 500. Some others are still in production, Punto, Idea, Bravo, Fiat has a long history in the United States. In 1908, the Fiat Automobile Co. was established in the country and a plant in Poughkeepsie, N. Y. began producing Fiats a year later, like the Fiat 60 HP and the Fiat 16-20 HP. These luxury cars were produced long before Chrysler Corp. was formed in 1925 from older manufacturers that were acquired by Walter P. Chrysler, the New Jersey factory was closed when the U. S. entered World War I in 1917. Fiat returned to North America in the 1950s, selling the original 500, Fiat 600 Multipla, Fiat 1100, Fiat 1200, for example the Fiat 124 Sport Spider and the Fiat X1/9
5.
Podium
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A podium is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek πόδι, in architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podia can also be used to people, for instance the conductor of an orchestra stands on a podium as do many public speakers. Common parlance has shown a use of podium in American English to describe a lectern. In sports, a type of podium is used to honor the top three competitors in such as the Olympics. In the Olympics a three-level podium is used, traditionally, the highest level in the center holds the gold medalist. To their right is a lower platform for the silver medalist. At the 2016 Summer Games in Rio, however, the Silver, in many sports, results in the top three of a competition are often referred to as podiums or podium finishes. In some individual sports, podiums is a statistic, referring to the number of top three results an athlete has achieved over the course of a season or career. The word may also be used, chiefly in the United States, as a verb, to podium, meaning to attain a podium place. Podia were first used at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton, Ontario and subsequently during the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, the winner stands in the middle, with the second placed driver to his right and the third place driver to his left. Also present are the selected by the race organisers who will present the trophies. In many forms of motorsport, the three top-placed drivers in a stand on a podium for the trophy ceremony. The recordings are versions of the national anthems, ensuring the podium ceremony does not exceeded its allocated time. Should a driver experience problems with his car on a lap in Formula One. The drivers will generally refrain from spraying if a fatality or major accident occurs during the event. Also, in countries where alcohol sponsorship or drinking is prohibited, alcoholic beverages may be replaced by other drinks, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the highest level of stock car racing in the United States, does not use a podium in post-game events or statistics. Instead, the team celebrates in victory lane, and top-five
6.
David Bruce-Brown
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David Loney Bruce-Brown was an American racecar driver. David Loney Bruce-Brown was born on August 13,1887, the son of George Bruce-Brown and Arabella Loney and the brother of William Bruce-Brown. His father had previously married to Virginia Greenway McKesson, of the McKesson family. His paternal great-grandfather was George Bruce and his aunt, Mary Loney, married Frederick Roosevelt. He attended the Allen-Stephenson School in New York City, and then the Harstrom School in Norwalk, Connecticut, having bluffed his way into auto racing at the age of 18, he turned out to be a natural talent behind the wheel and won the 1908 Daytona Speed Trials. He then went on to win the American Grand Prize in both 1910 and 1911 as well as other races. He also participated in the 1911 and 1912 editions of the Indianapolis 500 and he clocked in a 0.33 3-5 worlds one-mile amateur straightaway record, beating the previous holder, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr. s record. Bruce-Brown was killed during practice, along with his mechanic Tony Scudelari, for the 1912 American Grand Prize and 8th running of the Vanderbilt Cup races and his car was repaired and driven by Barney Oldfield in the Grand Prize to a 4th-place finish. The coroners jury which investigated his death determined that the road was too narrow that they were racing on, David Bruce-Brown at ChampCarStats. com David Bruce-Brown at Find a Grave David Bruce-Brown Biography
7.
Mercedes-Benz
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Mercedes-Benz is a global automobile manufacturer and a division of the German company Daimler AG. The brand is known for vehicles, buses, coaches. The headquarters is in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, the slogan for the brand is the best or nothing and Mercedes-Benz was one of the top growing brands in 2014 with 18% growth. The Mercedes automobile was first marketed in 1901 by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft, emil Jellinek, an Austrian automobile entrepreneur who worked with DMG created the trademark in 1902, naming the 1901 Mercedes 35 hp after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. The first Mercedes-Benz brand name vehicles were produced in 1926, following the merger of Karl Benzs, on 28 June 1926, Mercedes Benz was formed with the merger of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimlers two companies. Gottlieb Daimler was born on 17 March 1834 in Schorndorf, after training as a gunsmith and working in France, he attended the Polytechnic School in Stuttgart from 1857 to 1859. After completing various activities in France and England, he started work as a draftsman in Geislingen in 1862. At the end of 1863, he was appointed inspector in a machine tool factory in Reutlingen. Throughout the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz produced the 770 model, a car that was popular during Germanys Nazi period, Adolf Hitler was known to have driven these cars during his time in power, with bulletproof windshields. Most of the models have been sold at auctions to private buyers. One of them is currently on display at the War Museum in Ottawa, the pontiffs Popemobile has often been sourced from Mercedes-Benz. In 1944,46,000 forced laborers were used in Daimler-Benzs factories to bolster Nazi war efforts, the company later paid $12 million in reparations to the laborers families. Mercedes-Benz has introduced many technological and safety innovations that became common in other vehicles. Mercedes-Benz is one of the best-known and established automotive brands in the world, for information relating to the famous three-pointed star, see under the title Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft including the merger into Daimler-Benz. As part of the Daimler AG company, the Mercedes-Benz Cars division includes Mercedes-Benz, mercedes-AMG became a majority owned division of Mercedes-Benz in 1999. The company was integrated into DaimlerChrysler in 1999, and became Mercedes-Benz AMG beginning on 1 January 1999, Daimlers ultra-luxury brand Maybach was under Mercedes-Benz cars division until 2013, when the production stopped due to poor sales volumes. It now exists under the Mercedes-Maybach name, with the models being ultra-luxury versions of Mercedes cars, Daimler coorporates with BYD Auto to make and sell a battery-electric car called Denza in China. In 2016, Daimler announced plans to sell Mercedes-Benz branded all-electric battery cars in China, beside its native Germany, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are also manufactured or assembled in, Since its inception, Mercedes-Benz had maintained a reputation for its quality and durability
8.
France
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France, officially the French Republic, is a country with territory in western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. The European, or metropolitan, area of France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, Overseas France include French Guiana on the South American continent and several island territories in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. France spans 643,801 square kilometres and had a population of almost 67 million people as of January 2017. It is a unitary republic with the capital in Paris. Other major urban centres include Marseille, Lyon, Lille, Nice, Toulouse, during the Iron Age, what is now metropolitan France was inhabited by the Gauls, a Celtic people. The area was annexed in 51 BC by Rome, which held Gaul until 486, France emerged as a major European power in the Late Middle Ages, with its victory in the Hundred Years War strengthening state-building and political centralisation. During the Renaissance, French culture flourished and a colonial empire was established. The 16th century was dominated by civil wars between Catholics and Protestants. France became Europes dominant cultural, political, and military power under Louis XIV, in the 19th century Napoleon took power and established the First French Empire, whose subsequent Napoleonic Wars shaped the course of continental Europe. Following the collapse of the Empire, France endured a succession of governments culminating with the establishment of the French Third Republic in 1870. Following liberation in 1944, a Fourth Republic was established and later dissolved in the course of the Algerian War, the Fifth Republic, led by Charles de Gaulle, was formed in 1958 and remains to this day. Algeria and nearly all the colonies became independent in the 1960s with minimal controversy and typically retained close economic. France has long been a centre of art, science. It hosts Europes fourth-largest number of cultural UNESCO World Heritage Sites and receives around 83 million foreign tourists annually, France is a developed country with the worlds sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and ninth-largest by purchasing power parity. In terms of household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world. France performs well in international rankings of education, health care, life expectancy, France remains a great power in the world, being one of the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council with the power to veto and an official nuclear-weapon state. It is a member state of the European Union and the Eurozone. It is also a member of the Group of 7, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, originally applied to the whole Frankish Empire, the name France comes from the Latin Francia, or country of the Franks
9.
Bob Burman
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Robert R. Burman was an American racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. He was born on April 23,1884 in Imlay City and he was the winner of the Prest-O-Lite Trophy Race in 1909. He competed at the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911, racing for racing promoter Ernest Moross, Burman set world records in his 200-horsepower Blitzen Benz racecar on the sands of Daytona Beach and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911. He was killed on April 8,1916 in a race in Corona, California. Three spectators were killed, and five others were seriously injured. It was called the Golden Submarine and he was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2011
10.
Marquette (automobile)
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Marquette was a brand used on several different automobiles, most recently on Buicks companion make. The name Marquette was first used for an automobile when the Berwick Auto Car Company of Grand Rapids, Michigan, for General Motors, William Durant bought the Rainier Motor Car Company in May 1909, which was in severe financial trouble. A new company, the Marquette Motor Company was established in Saginaw, Michigan, further, they manufactured parts for another luxury make belonging to General Motors, the Welch, and its cheaper sister car, the Welch-Detroit. Management was controlled by Buick officers, after Durant left GM for the first time in September 1910, it was tried to make both the Rainier and the Welch profitable. Therefore, with the Marquette, a new make was introduced and it produced two car lines, both with huge 4-cylinder engines. The 45 hp line consisted of one only, the Model 28 7-passenger touring. It had a wheelbase of 119 inches, and sold for $4,000 and it seems that this reorganization was not successful, as GM announced the end of the Marquette still in 1912. Probably, some of the last Marquettes were labeled as Peninsular, the Marquette nameplate was revived when the Buick Division of General Motors launched their own sister make for model year 1930. Along with Viking and LaSalle, the Marquette was conceived to span a gap in General Motors market segmentation plan. Marquette was placed below Buick, but above Viking which was to be sold in Oldsmobile dealerships, the Marquette arrived in dealer showrooms on June 1,1929. The Marquette line rode on an 114 in wheelbase and was powered by an L head six 212.8 cu in producing 67 hp, Marquette was built to sell in the $1,000 range, and was available in a single car range. Reviewers at the time described it looking like a small Oldsmobile or small Cadillac. Despite its promising first year sales, two factors worked against the Marquette, Buick gave no advance warning of the termination of the Marquette, just four months before the shutdown,4,000 Marquette signs were shipped to dealers in the hope of better days ahead. Photo of restored 1930 Model 34 Sport Roadster
11.
Buick
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Buick, formally the Buick Motor Division, is an upscale automobile brand of the American manufacturer General Motors. Buick-branded vehicles are known for reliability, ranking high for reliability in Consumer Reports brand reliability rankings. Buick has the distinction of being the oldest active American marque of automobile, before the establishment of General Motors, GM founder William C. Durant had served as Buicks general manager and major investor. Buick also has the distinction of being the first automobile maker in the world to equip its cars with overhead valve engines, in 2015, Buick sold 1,231,941 vehicles, a record for the brand. The main market is in China, where 80% of Buick-branded automobiles are sold, Buicks are also sold in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Since restructuring in 2009, GM has also started to share technology, vehicles, Buick was founded in 1899 in Jackson, Michigan by David Dunbar Buick as the Buick Auto-Vim and Power Company, an internal combustion engine manufacturer. Buick is one of the oldest automobile brands in the world and his replacement was Eugene Richard, who applied for a patent in 1902 for Marrs valve-in-head engine, which patent, number 771,095, was awarded to Richard in the name of Buick in 1904. This was the worlds first overhead valve internal combustion engine, although it was called valve-in-head because the cylinders were horizontal so the valves were not actually overhead. In 1903, the third Buick automobile was made, this time by Richard, but in 1904 Buick moved to Flint, Michigan, Marr was rehired in Flint as chief engineer, to begin making automobiles in production. David Dunbar Buick incorporated his company as the Buick Motor Company on May 19,1903, in Detroit, Michigan. In March,1904, the company was purchased by Benjamin Briscoe, Whiting moved Buick to Flint that summer, to a location across the street from his factory, with the idea of adding Buicks engines to his wagons. David Buick stayed on as a manager, and re-hired Walter Marr as chief engineer, the engine Buick and Marr developed for this automobile was a 2-cyinder valve-in-head engine of 159 cubic inches, with each cylinder horizontal and opposed to each other by 180 degrees. Durant that year as controlling investor, Durant was co-owner, also in Flint, of the Durant-Dort Carriage Company, which was the largest carriage-making company in the country. Durant spent the next 4 years turning Buick into the automobile brand in the US. David Buick sold his stock upon departure in 1906, and died in modest circumstances 25 years later, in 1907, Durant agreed to supply motors to R. S. McLaughlin in Canada, an auto maker, and in 1908 he founded General Motors. Between 1899 and 1902, two vehicles were built in Detroit, Michigan by Walter Lorenzo Marr. Some documentation exists of the 1901 or 1902 prototype with tiller steering similar to the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, in mid-1904, another prototype was constructed for an endurance run, which convinced James H. Whiting to authorize production of the first models offered to the public. The architecture of this prototype was the basis for the Model B, the first Buick made for sale, the 1904 Model B, was built in Flint, Michigan at a re-purposed factory that was known as the Flint Wagon Works
12.
Grand Prix motor racing
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Grand Prix motor racing has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as far back as 1894. It quickly evolved from a road race from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car. Grand Prix motor racing eventually evolved into formula racing, and Formula One can be seen as its direct descendant, each event of the Formula One World Championships is still called a Grand Prix, Formula One is referred to as Grand Prix racing. Motor racing was started in France, as a result of the enthusiasm with which the French public embraced the motor car. Manufacturers were enthusiastic due to the possibility of using motor racing as a window for their cars. The first motoring contest took place on July 22,1894 and was organised by a Paris newspaper, the Paris–Rouen rally was 126 km, from Porte Maillot in Paris, through the Bois de Boulogne, to Rouen. Count Jules-Albert de Dion was first into Rouen after 6 hours 48 minutes at an speed of 19 km/h. He finished 3 minutes 30 seconds ahead of Albert Lemaître, followed by Doriot, René Panhard, in 1900, James Gordon Bennett, Jr. the owner of the New York Herald and the International Herald Tribune, established the Gordon Bennett Cup. He hoped the creation of an event would drive automobile manufacturers to improve their cars. Each country was allowed to enter up to three cars, which had to be built in the country that they represented and entered by that countrys automotive governing body. International racing colours were established in this event, in the United States, William Kissam Vanderbilt II launched the Vanderbilt Cup at Long Island, New York in 1904. Some anglophone sources wrongly list a race called the Pau Grand Prix in 1901 and this may stem from a mistranslation of the contemporary French sources such as the magazine La France Auto of March 1901. The name of the 1901 event was the Circuit du Sud-Ouest, the Grand Prix du Palais d’Hiver was the name of the prizes awarded for the lesser classes. The Grand Prix de Pau was the name of the awarded for the Heavy class. Thus Maurice Farman was awarded the Grand Prix de Pau for his victory in the Circuit du Sud-Ouest driving a Panhard 24 hp. In L’Histoire de l’Automobile/Paris 1907 Pierre Souvestre described the 1901 event as, dans le Circuit du Sud-Ouest, à l’occasion du meeting de Pau. ” The only race at the time to carry the name Grand Prix was organised by the Automobile Club de France. The circuit used, which was based in Le Mans, was triangular in shape
13.
United States Grand Prix
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The United States Grand Prix is a motor race which has been held in the U. S. on and off since 1908, when it was known as the American Grand Prize. The race later became part of the Formula One World Championship, over 44 editions of the race have taken place at 10 locations in total. Since 2012, it has held at the Circuit of the Americas in Elroy. The Vanderbilt Cup soon became an institution on New Yorks Long Island, however, the race was plagued by crowd control problems, which led to spectator deaths and injuries, and the cancellation of the 1907 event. Upon its return for 1908, the American Automobile Association did not adopt the new Grand Prix regulations agreed upon by the Association Internationale des Automobiles Clubs Reconnus. This led the rival Automobile Club of America, a group with strong ties to Europe, to sponsor the American Grand Prize. The Savannah Automobile Club of Savannah, Georgia about 2 hours north of Jacksonville, Florida had staged a successful stock car race in the spring, the Savannah Automobile Club laid out a lengthened version of their stock car course, totaling 25.13 mi. Georgia Governor M. Hoke Smith authorized the use of labor to construct the circuit of oiled gravel. The Governor also sent state troops to augment local police patrols in keeping the crowd in check. The entry for the race featured 14 European and six American entries, including factory teams from Benz, Fiat. In the race, held on Thanksgiving Day, Ralph DePalma led early in his Fiat, before falling back with lubrication, the race came down to a three-way battle between the Benz of Victor Hémery and the Fiats of Louis Wagner and Felice Nazzaro. Wagner won the race by the margin of 56 seconds. Despite the success of the Savannah event, it was decided that the 1909 race would be held on Long Island, however, only the Vanderbilt race was held and the Grand Prize pushed back to the next year. After the 1910 Vanderbilt Cup saw more issues, including the deaths of two riding mechanics and several serious injuries, the Grand Prize was cancelled once again. A last-minute request by the Savannah club saved the race for the year, a shorter 17-mile course was laid out, but due to the short notice, most European teams were not able to make the trip. The leading trio from 1908 did make it and American David Bruce-Brown joined the Benz squad, Bruce-Brown won another incredibly tight race over teammate Hémery, this time by only 1.42 seconds. The 1911 event returned to Savannah, and this time the Vanderbilt Cup came with it, despite the success of the events, public pressure started to mount on the organizers. The use of labor and the militia drew criticism, as did the nuisance of closing roads for the event
14.
Karl Benz
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Karl Friedrich Benz was a German engine designer and automobile engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical motorcar and he received a patent for the Motorcar on 29 January 1886. According to German law, the acquired the name Benz by legal marriage of his parents Benz. When he was two old, his father died of pneumonia, and his name was changed to Karl Friedrich Benz in remembrance of his father. Despite living in poverty, his mother strove to give him a good education. Benz attended the local Grammar School in Karlsruhe and was a prodigious student, in 1853, at the age of nine he started at the scientifically oriented Lyceum. Next he studied at the Poly-Technical University under the instruction of Ferdinand Redtenbacher, Benz had originally focused his studies on locksmithing, but he eventually followed his fathers steps toward locomotive engineering. On 30 September 1860, at age 15, he passed the exam for mechanical engineering at the University of Karlsruhe. Benz graduated 9 July 1864 aged 19, during these years, while riding his bicycle, he started to envision concepts for a vehicle that would eventually become the horseless carriage. Following his formal education, Benz had seven years of training in several companies. The training started in Karlsruhe with two years of varied jobs in an engineering company. He then moved to Mannheim to work as a draftsman and designer in a scales factory, in 1868 he went to Pforzheim to work for a bridge building company Gebrüder Benckiser Eisenwerke und Maschinenfabrik. Finally, he went to Vienna for a period to work at an iron construction company. In 1871, at the age of twenty-seven, Karl Benz joined August Ritter in launching the Iron Foundry and Mechanical Workshop in Mannheim, the enterprises first year went very badly. Ritter turned out to be unreliable, and the tools were impounded. The difficulty was overcome when Benzs fiancée, Bertha Ringer, bought out Ritters share in the company using her dowry, on 20 July 1872, Karl Benz and Bertha Ringer married. They had five children, Eugen, Richard, Clara, Thilde, despite the business misfortunes, Karl Benz led in the development of new engines in the early factory he and his wife owned. To get more revenues, in 1878 he began to work on new patents, first, he concentrated all his efforts on creating a reliable petrol two-stroke engine
15.
American Automobile Association
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The American Automobile Association is a federation of motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a member service organization, with 55.6 million members in the United States. AAA provides services to its members, including roadside assistance and others and its national headquarters are in Heathrow, Florida. Those individual motor clubs included the Chicago Automobile Club, Automobile Club of America, Automobile Club of New Jersey, the Automobile Club of Buffalo joined in 1903. In 1904, the AAA merged with the very first American automobile organization, the first AAA road maps were published in 1905. AAA began printing hotel guides in 1917, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, which conducts studies on motorist safety, was established as a separate entity in 1947. AAA created an organization called the Racing Board, and later known as the Contest Board, in 1902 to officiate the Vanderbilt Cup international automobile race in Long Island, New York. The Racing Board sanctioned the Indianapolis 500 and awarded national racing championships in 1905,1916, 1920–1941, after the 1955 Le Mans disaster, AAA decided that auto racing distracted from its primary goals, and the United States Automobile Club was formed to take over the race sanctioning/officiating. In 2005, AAA re-entered racing as a sponsor of ISC-owned tracks, in 2006, AAAs foray into racing expanded when it made a three-year commitment to sponsor Roush Racings number 6 car on the NASCAR Nextel Circuit. In 1935, AAA published Sportsmanlike Driving, the first course outline for high school teachers, in 1936, AAA published the first driver education curriculum for use in high schools. AAA has updated its driver training courses throughout the years and many clubs currently offer their own driving schools, knowing that vehicles pose a hazard to pedestrians, in 1936 AAA began a pedestrian safety program with a grant from the Automotive Safety Foundation. AAA went on to commission and publish a study of pedestrian safety for the purpose of reducing pedestrian fatalities and injuries. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety was established as an entity in 1947. AAA has also provided services to the U. S. government in times of war, during the 1940s, AAA offered its services to the Advisory Commission of the Council of National Defense in anticipation of becoming involved in World War II. Reductions in manufacturing because of the war increased the need for conservation in automobiles, in 1944, AAA’s Keep em Rolling campaign sponsored a cross-country tour featuring cars equipped with synthetic tires. The tour demonstrated the reliability of tires made with synthetic rubber, AAA also assisted in the development of a manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and their operation during wartime. In 1946, AAA launched a campaign called Take It Easy, subsequently, fatalities dropped 20 percent below the pre-war figure. In the 1960s, AAA helped draft the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966, setting safety standards for automobiles, tires, and equipment
16.
Vanderbilt Cup
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The Vanderbilt Cup was the first major trophy in American auto racing. An international event, it was founded by William Kissam Vanderbilt II in 1904 and first held on October 8 on a course set out in Nassau County on Long Island, New York. The announcement that the race was to be held caused considerable controversy in New York, the politicians soon jumped in, holding public hearings on the issue. Vanderbilt prevailed and the race was run over a 30.24 miles course of winding dirt roads through the Nassau County area. The race drew the top drivers and their vehicles from across the Atlantic Ocean, the first Long Island race featured seventeen vehicles and the newspaper and poster art promotion drew large crowds hoping to see an American car defeat the mighty European vehicles. However, George Heath won the race in a Panhard and another French vehicle, crowd control was a problem from the start and after a spectator, Curt Gruner, was killed in 1906, the race was cancelled. Meanwhile, in France, the first Grand Prix motor racing event had been run on June 26,1906, one of the competitors was American Elliot Shepard, the son of Margaret Vanderbilt-Shepard and a cousin of William Kissam Vanderbilt. Construction began in 1907 of the toll highway, to run from the Kissena Corridor in Queens County over numerous bridges and overpasses to Lake Ronkonkoma. The Vanderbilt Cup was held successfully on Long Island until 1911 when it was showcased at Savannah, the next year it moved to a racecourse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then for three years in California, Santa Monica in 1914 and 1916, San Francisco in 1915. The race was canceled after the United States joined the Allies in World War I in 1917, some of the drivers who participated in the Vanderbilt Cup became famous names, synonymous with automobiles and racing such as Louis Chevrolet, Vincenzo Lancia and Ralph DePalma. Once again, the Europeans were enticed by the prize money. A lack of American competition and a less-than-exciting course layout saw the race run for two years, both won by Europeans. The Vanderbilt Cup would not return to the United States motor racing scene for more than twenty years, in 1960, sponsored by Cornelius Vanderbilt IV, it was run as a Formula Junior event and held again at Roosevelt Raceway. In 1965,1967, and 1968, the Bridgehampton Sports Car Races were billed as the Vanderbilt Cup, the original Cup is cast of silver and measures 2.5 feet in height. It bears the image of William K. Vanderbilt II driving his record-setting Mercedes at the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1904, the trophy today is stored at a Smithsonian Institution storage facility and is not available to be seen by the public. The George Vanderbilt Cup is on display at Museo Nicolis in Verona, ^A The 1966 event was billed as the Bridgehampton 200. The Vanderbilt Cup name disappeared for another 36 years until 1996, in recognition of William Kissam Vanderbilts place in automotive racing history, a copy of the original cup was created as the trophy for the CART U. S.500 race. In 2000, CART designated the Vanderbilt Cup as its series championship trophy, names of U. S.500 winners from 1996–99 and the CART series winners since 2000, are etched into the new Cup
17.
Long Island Motor Parkway
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The Long Island Motor Parkway, also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway and Motor Parkway, was a parkway on Long Island, New York, in the United States. It was the first roadway designed for use only. The road was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt II with overpasses and bridges to remove intersections. It opened in 1908 as a road and closed in 1938 when it was taken over by the state of New York in lieu of back taxes. Parts of the parkway survive today in sections of other roadways, William Kissam Vanderbilt II, the great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt, was an auto-racing enthusiast and created the Vanderbilt Cup, the first major road racing competition, in 1904. Vanderbilt responded by floating a company to build a graded, banked and grade-separated highway suitable for racing that was free of the horse manure dust often churned up by motor cars. The resulting Long Island Motor Parkway, with its banked turns, guard rails, reinforced concrete tarmac, only 45 miles were constructed, at a cost of $6 million. On October 10,1908, a 10-mile-long section opened as far as modern Bethpage, by 1911, the road was extended to Lake Ronkonkoma. It was the first roadway designed exclusively for use, the first concrete highway in the United States. It was a road, with access at a small number of toll booths. Traffic could turn left between the parkway and connectors, crossing oncoming traffic, so it was not a freeway, access points were, Nassau Boulevard west of Francis Lewis Boulevard. The right-of-way of Nassau Boulevard was later used for the Long Island Expressway and it was reduced to $1.50 in 1912, $1 in 1917, and 40 cents in 1938. The first six houses were designed by John Russell Pope, the architect who designed the rotunda in the American Museum of Natural History. The toll houses were designed to include living space for the toll collectors so that toll could be collected at all hours, the most prominent remaining toll house is in Garden City. Once located at the junction of Clinton Road and Vanderbilt Court, it was moved in 1989 to 230 Seventh Street, roadway design advances of the 1920s rendered the road obsolete less than 20 years after construction. At the same time Robert Moses was planning the Northern State Parkway, initially the owners and some Long Island officials wanted the road integrated into the state parkway system, despite its narrow roadway and steep bridges not meeting new standards. Moses was against the idea, stating that the parkway would need significant reconstruction, the completion of the Northern State Parkway signaled the end for the road. In 1938 it was sold to New York State for $80,000 in lieu of back taxes, most of the road in Queens is a bicycle trail from Cunningham Park to Alley Pond Park, part of the Brooklyn–Queens Greenway
18.
Arthur Chevrolet
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Arthur Chevrolet, was a Swiss American racecar driver and automobile manufacturer. Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchatel, Switzerland, Arthur was the brother of Louis Chevrolet, founder of the Chevrolet car company. After brother Louis immigrated to America and earned money, he sent for Gaston. Once there, Arthur worked as a mechanic and joined his brothers in auto racing. In 1911, he competed in the inaugural Indianapolis 500 but had to drop out after 30 laps when his Buick developed mechanical problems. In 1916, the year older brother Louis left the Chevrolet car company that he had co-founded, Arthur Chevrolet became a partner with Louis. Driving a Frontenac, Arthur qualified for the Indianapolis 500 again in 1916 and his driving career ended during practice rounds for the 1920 Indianapolis 500 when he was severely injured in a crash. Brother Gaston won that race in a Frontenac, but Gaston was killed in a California race a few months later. In 1928, Arthur filed with the US Patent Office for an Overhead Valve Engine, Patent #1,744,526 was awarded on January 21,1930. In 1929 Arthur and Louis Chevrolet left the business altogether to form the Chevrolet Brothers Aircraft Company with a new engine of their design. The business was unsuccessful and was taken over by investors. Arthur and Louis returned to automobiles, becoming leaders in the development of sprint type race cars. In 1990 Arthur and his brother were inducted to the class of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum. In 1942 Arthur Chevrolet retired to Slidell, Louisiana, suffering from depression, he committed suicide by hanging in 1946, only nine days shy of his 62nd birthday. Arthur Chevrolet has long thought to be interred next to his brothers in the Holy Cross and Saint Joseph Cemetery in Indianapolis. A headstone was placed at the grave in 2011 to memorialize his life by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Chevrolet Motor Company. The grave thought to be that of Arthur Chevrolet for many years is in fact his son, the actual location of Arthur Chevrolet, Sr. grave is yet to be known as of this date. Travel Air Type R Mystery Ship Arthur Chevrolet at Find a Grave
19.
Ralph DePalma
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Raffaele Ralph De Palma was an Italian-American racecar driving champion who won the 1915 Indianapolis 500. His entry at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame estimates that he won about 2,000 races, DePalma won the 1908,1909,1910, and 1911 American AAA national dirt track championships and is credited with winning 24 American Champ car races. He won the Canadian national championship in 1929, DePalma estimated that he had earned $1.5 million by 1934 after racing for 27 years. He is inducted in numerous halls of fame and he competed on boards and dirt road courses and ovals. Born in Biccari, Apulia, Italy, DePalmas family emigrated to the United States in 1893, DePalma was immediately successful in car racing. In 1911, DePalma won the first Milwaukee Mile Championship Car race, however, he is still remembered for the dramatic manner in which he lost the 1912 Indianapolis 500. After leading the race for 196 of the 200 laps, his Mercedes cracked a piston and with only 2 laps remaining, he, at that time, only cars completing the full 200 laps received any prize money. This Mercedes remains on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum. He went on to earn the U. S. national driving championship that year, after being impaled by a corn stalk, he was hospitalized for 11 weeks, he recovered and was back to racing the following spring. He entered the 1914 Indianapolis 500 but was not able to finish the course, DePalma had been let go by the Mercer Automobile Co. racing team in favor of Barney Oldfield. In a Mercedes Gray Ghost, he showed he was a tactician in beating Oldfields much faster car. He ended 1914 by winning his second U. S. national driving championship, the following year,1915, he drove to victory at 1915 Indianapolis 500 with a Mercedes 4.5 liter Gp car. DePalma was a competitor but one of the most popular racers with his fellow drivers and the fans because of his good sportsmanship. In June 1917 he lost to Barney Oldfield in a series of 10 to 25 mile match races at the Milwaukee Mile. On February 12,1919 at Daytona Beach, Florida, he drove a Packard to a speed record of 149.875 mph over a measured mile. International competition began following the adoption of the three liter engine limit in the U. S. and Europe in 1920, DePalma began the year driving for the French manufacturer, Ballot. His Ballot vehicle won the position for the 1920 Indy race and he led for many laps but bad luck dogged him in the race. However, DePalma did race his Ballot vehicle in the Elgin Road Race, then in 1921 DePalma traveled with other Americans to Le Mans to compete in the French Grand Prix
20.
Ralph Mulford
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Ralph Kirkman Mulford was an American racecar driver who participated in the 1911 Indianapolis 500. In 1911 he won the Vanderbilt Cup in Savannah, Georgia and he was born on December 28,1884 in Brooklyn, New York. He once served as a Sunday school teacher, there is an ongoing urban legend that Ralph Mulford may have won the 1911 Indianapolis 500 over Ray Harroun. However, contemporary accounts and substantiated research, namely by Indianapolis Motor Speedway historian Donald Davidson, have produced no credible evidence to support the claim. Mulford was retroactively declared the National Driving Champion for 1911 and 1918. He retired from racing on tracks after 1922, but continued to compete for more years in hill climbs. He died on October 23,1973 in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Ralph Mulford driver statistics at Racing-Reference Ralph Mulford at Champ Car Stats Ralph Mulford at Find a Grave
21.
Lozier
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The Lozier Motor Company was a brass era producer of automobiles in the United States of America. The company produced automobiles from 1900 to 1915, with a factory at 3703 Mack Avenue, Detroit. The company was founded in Plattsburgh, New York by Henry Abrahm Lozier, after selling his bicycle business, Lozier moved to Plattsburgh to manufacture boat engines. In 1900, he entered the automobile business, at his death in 1903, his son Harry took over the company. Loziers were top line luxury cars and for a time were the most expensive cars produced in the United States, the 1910 model line featured cars priced between US$4,600 and US$7,750. The same year, a Cadillac could be had for about US$1,600, a pre-assembly line Ford Model T of the same year retailed at approximately US$850. The average annual salary in America that year was approximately US$750, the company was moved to Detroit in 1910. In 1911, a Lozier was entered into the first running of the Indianapolis 500, the car, in the hands of Ralph Mulford, finished second in a controversial scoring decision and many observers felt Mulfords Lozier had actually won the race. On March 19 the same year, Lozier ads claimed, a stock 49 hp model piloted by Teddy Tetzlaff set a record for 100 mi at 1,14,29. Because of Loziers limited market niche, the company produced a few thousand cars during its brief lifespan. Production peaked in the 1912 model year at 600 cars, the company faced new pressures as more manufacturers entered the market. Chandler, Loziers top designer, left the company in 1913 and formed the Chandler Motor Company which produced similar to the Lozier. Chandler took several top company executives with him producing a brain drain from which the company never recovered. At the 1913 Los Angeles Motordome, however, the introduced the 88 hp Big Six, with electric headlights, with tourers and roadsters at US$5,000. It was joined by the 52 hp Light Six Metropolitan, with electric starter and lights, the tourer and runabout were US$3,250, coupe US$3,850, and limousine US$4,450. Lozier tried to expand into the mid priced car market and in 1914 offered a four-cylinder car priced at US$2,000. It faced competition from the US$2000 Enger 40, the cheaper FAL at US$1750, the US$1600 Oakland 40 and Cole Four at US$1925, the new four was not a sales success and company finances continued to falter. After a failed attempt to merge with Ford Motor Company, the company declared bankruptcy in 1915, treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925
22.
Ray Harroun
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Ray Harroun was an American racecar driver and pioneering constructor most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911. He was born on January 12,1879 in Spartansburg, Pennsylvania and he participated in the original setting of the record from Chicago to New York in 1903, and the re-taking of that record in 1904. He and four others drove in shifts non-stop to establish the record of 76 hours at the end of September,1903. That time was bested by another team nearly a year later, and in October 1904 and that record stood for nearly two years. Other drivers in both years included Bert Holcomb, Lawrence Duffie, and Harry Sandol, in 1903, the fifth driver was David R. Adams, in 1904 it was Eddie Bald. Nicknamed the Little Professor for his work of creating the Marmon Wasp. Harroun is best known for winning the first running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race on May 30,1911 and he is known to have started at least 60 AAA-sanctioned races, during the years 1905–1911. From 1909 to 1911, Harroun drove primarily for the team operated by Indianapolis-based auto maker, however, at least one 1909 race result shows him driving a Buick. Also, statistics from 1905 through 1908 show him driving cars described as Harroun Custom and he is best known for winning the first Indianapolis 500, driving a Marmon. Harroun won a total of 8 races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, during the years that Harroun was driving, the AAA designated some races each year as championship events. However, there was no actual year-long championship, and no points were awarded, in 1927, points were assigned retroactively, and champions were designated for those years. At that time, Harroun was designated the champion for the 1910 season, at the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, his use of what would now be called a rear-view mirror, rather than the riding mechanic specified in the rules, created controversy, but was ultimately allowed. Harroun went on to win at an speed of 74.602 miles per hour. Harroun, who out of retirement to race in the first 500. Harrouns historic Firestone-shod yellow #32 Marmon Wasp, in which he won the Indianapolis 500, is on display at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum, the 50th Anniversary race in 1961 was won by A. J. Foyt, and both Harroun and Foyt appeared together on the television program Ive Got a Secret -- their secret being their respective wins at Indianapolis, after retiring from racing, Harroun continued engineering work for Marmon, and later for the Maxwell racing team. In 1916, Harroun started his own company in Wayne, Michigan. The venture folded after World War I, and today a street in Wayne is named for him, in 1927 he joined Lincoln Products
23.
Joe Dawson (racing driver)
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Joseph Crook Dawson was an American race car driver. He was born in Odon, Indiana on July 17,1889, Dawson competed in the Indianapolis 500 race three times, beginning in 1911 when he drove a Marmon to a fifth-place finish. The following year, Dawson won after Ralph DePalma, who had led for 196 laps of the 200 lap race, dropped out with a mechanical failure. At age 22 years and 323 days, Dawson stood as the youngest winner of the 500 until Troy Ruttman won the 1952 Indianapolis 500 at age 22 years and 86 days, in his final Indy 500 race in 1914, Dawson retired after an accident on the 45th lap. He died on June 17,1946 at age 56
24.
Marmon Motor Car Company
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Marmon Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer founded by Howard Marmon and owned by Nordyke Marmon & Company of Indianapolis, Indiana, US. It was established in 1902 and was merged and renamed in 1933 and they produced cars under the Marmon brand. It was succeeded by Marmon-Herrington and later the Marmon Motor Company of Denton, the name currently survives through the Marmon Group of Chicago, Illinois. Marmons parent company was founded in 1851, manufacturing flour grinding mill equipment, small limited production of experimental automobiles began in 1902, with an air-cooled V-twin engine. An air-cooled V4 followed the year, with pioneering V6 and V8 engines tried over the next few years. Marmons soon gained a reputation as reliable, speedy upscale cars, the original Nordyke and Marmon Plant 1 was at the southwest corner of Kentucky Avenue and West Morris Street. Plant 2 was at the southwest corner of Drover and West York Street, Plant 3 was a five-story structure measuring 80 x 600 feet parallel to Morris Street. The Marmon assembly plant was built adjacent to the Morris Street property line with Plant 3 behind, the Model 32 of 1909 spawned the Wasp. The Wasp, driven by Marmon engineer Ray Harroun, was the winner of the first ever Indianapolis 500 motor race and this car featured the worlds first known automobile rear-view mirror. The 1913 Model 48 was a left-hand steering tourer with a cast aluminum body and electric headlights and horn, as well as electric lights for the dash. It used a 573 in3 T-head straight-six engine of between 48 and 80 hp with dual-plug ignition and electric starter and it had a 145 in wheelbase and 36×4½-inch front/37×5-inch rear wheels and full-elliptic front and ¾-elliptic rear springs. Like most cars of the era, it came complete with a kit, in Marmons case, it offered jack, power tire pump, chassis oiler, tire patch kit. The 1916 Model 34 used an aluminum straight-six, and used aluminum in the body, a Model 34 was driven coast to coast as a publicity stunt, beating Erwin Cannonball Bakers record to much fanfare. New models were introduced for 1924, replacing the long-lived Model 34, but the company was facing financial trouble, in 1929, Marmon introduced an under-$1,000 straight-eight car, the Roosevelt, but the stock market crash of 1929 made the companys problems worse. Howard Marmon had begun working on the worlds first V16 engine in 1927, by that time, Cadillac had already introduced their V-16, designed by ex-Marmon engineer Owen Nacker. Peerless, too, was developing a V16 with help from an ex-Marmon engineer, the Marmon Sixteen was produced for three years. The engine displaced 491 in³ and produced 200 hp and it was an all-aluminum design with steel cylinder liners and a 45° bank angle. The historic Marmon Wasp race car of the early 20th century was also a work of automobile engineering
25.
Pope Manufacturing Company
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Pope Manufacturing Company was founded by Albert Augustus Pope around 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts, and incorporated in Connecticut in 1877. Manufacturing of bicycles began in 1878 in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Weed Sewing Machine Company factory, Pope manufactured bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles. From 1905 to 1913, Pope gradually consolidated manufacturing to the Westfield Mass plant, the main offices remained in Hartford CT. It ceased automobile production in 1915, and ceased production in 1918. Bicycles continued to be available under the Columbia brand. Pope Manufacturing Company was listed in the 1876 Boston City Directory, in March 1877, the company drafted incorporation documents in Connecticut, naming Albert Pope, Charles Pope, and Edward Pope as shareholders. At the time of incorporation, Albert Pope held 595 shares, his father Charles held 400 shares, Pope Manufacturing Company was already selling air pistols and cigarette rolling machines. Though Pope Manufacturing had filed for incorporation in Connecticut, it continued to base its offices, Albert and Edward Pope operated a factory at 87 Summer Street in Boston as early as 1874 for the production of hand-held cigarette rolling machines. Albert Pope started advertising imported English bicycles for sale in March 1878 and his initial investment in the Pope Manufacturing Company was $3,000, or worth about $125,000 in the early 21st-century. He invested about $4,000 in 1878 to import about fifty English bicycles, in May 1878, he met with George Fairfield, president of Weed Sewing Machine Company. Albert Pope was inquiring about manufacturing his own brand of bicycles, proposing a contract with Weed to build fifty bicycles at its plant in Hartford, Albert Pope had ridden an imported Excelsior Duplex model penny farthing to the meeting, which Fairfield inspected. At that time, sewing machines were selling poorly, so Fairfield accepted the contract, in September 1878, Weed Sewing Machine Company built the last of the fifty bikes under the first contract. Albert Pope chose the brand name Columbia for the first high-wheelers produced by Pope Manufacturing and these first machines, copied from the Excelsior Duplex model, were made from seventy-seven parts that were made in-house, and only the rubber tires purchased from a supplier. Pope Manufacturing sold all its bicycles from the first production run, in 1879, production and sales were around 1,000, the last year of the Excelsior Duplex copies. George Herbert Day worked as a clerk at Weed Sewing Machine Company when the company started producing high-wheelers for Pope Manufacturing, in early 1879, Day was promoted to corporate secretary. One historian characterized Day as Albert Popes right-hand man in Hartford between 1878 and 1899, Alberts cousin Edward started work as the Pope Manufacturing bookkeeper in 1880. George Bidwell, and independent salesman from Buffalo, New York, learning in a correspondence from Pope that he would be producing his own bicycle, Bidwell starting taking orders for the Columbias. Bidwell sold seventy-five of the machines, holding down payments for each, Pope could only deliver about twenty-five
26.
Louis Wagner
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Louis Wagner was a French Grand Prix driver who won the first ever United States and British Grands Prix. Wagner was also a pioneer aviator, Wagner was born in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, Seine-Saint-Denis. He began racing cars while in his teens and claimed victory in 1903 driving a Darracq in a voiturette class race at the Circuit des Ardennes at Bastogne, Belgium. Competing in the United States, Wagner won the Vanderbilt Cup of 1906 driving a Darracq model 120 over a Long Island racecourse and he finished 5th in the 1907 Kaiserpreis in Germany but the following year in Savannah won the first ever United States Grand Prix driving a Fiat. Driving a Mercedes, Wagner finished second to Christian Lautenschlager in the 1914 French Grand Prix at Lyon and he competed in the 1919 Indianapolis 500 driving a Ballot but went out with a broken wheel on lap 45. In 1924 he drove for the Alfa Romeo team, in a P2 alongside Antonio Ascari, in 1926, Wagner teamed up with Robert Sénéchal to drive a Delage 155B to victory in the first ever British Grand Prix. In August he won the Grand Prix de la Baule in a Delage 2LCV, in addition to Grand Prix racing, Wagner also competed in the 24 hours of Le Mans endurance race. Wagner began flying airplanes in 1910 and he worked for the Hanriot company flying their monoplanes. In the long opening credits of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the driver of the original Chitty car wins race after race. Louis Wagner died in 1960 at the age of 78 in Montlhéry, list of pilots awarded an Aviators Certificate by the Aéro-Club de France in 1910 Louis Wagner wins the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup Race
27.
Harry Grant
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Harold Fletcher Grant was an American auto racing driver. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on July 10,1877 and his father was a mining engineer who was killed in a mining accident in Colorado. Driving an American Locomotive Company automobile, Grant won the Vanderbilt Cup on Long Island in 1909 and 1910 and he then competed in the Indianapolis 500 four times between 1911 and 1915. He had his best showing in 1915, finishing in 5th place, on October 8,1915, Grant was killed at Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn when his car crashed during a practice run for the Astor Cup. Harry Grant at Find a Grave
28.
American Locomotive Company
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The American Locomotive Company was formed in 1901 by the merger of Schenectady Locomotive Engine Manufactory of Schenectady, New York with seven smaller locomotive manufacturers. The American Locomotive Automobile Company subsidiary designed and manufactured automobiles under the Alco brand from 1905-1913, the company changed its name to Alco Products, Incorporated in 1955. In 1964 the Worthington Corporation acquired the company, the company ceased trading in 1969. Samuel R. Callaway left the presidency of the New York Central Railroad to become president of Alco, when Callaway died on June 1,1904, Albert J. Pitkin succeeded him as president of Alco. In 1904, the American Locomotive Company acquired control of the Locomotive and Machine Company of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1905, Alco purchased Rogers Locomotive Works of Paterson, New Jersey, the second largest locomotive manufacturer in the United States behind Baldwin Locomotive Works. In the post World War II period, Alco operated manufacturing plants only in Schenectady and Montreal, after the American Locomotive Company ceased locomotive manufacturing in the United States in 1969, Montreal Locomotive Works continued to manufacture locomotives based on Alco designs. Alco was the second-largest steam locomotive builder in the United States, among these were a large number of well-known locomotives. Alco built many of the biggest locomotives ever constructed, including Union Pacifics Big Boy, during World War II, Alco produced many 2-10-0 Decapods for the USSR. Many of these were undelivered at the end of the war,75214, is preserved at the Finnish Railway Museum. Though the dual-service 4-8-4 steam locomotive had shown promise,1948 was the last year that steam locomotives were manufactured in Schenectady. These were the seven A-2a class 9400-series Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad 2-8-4 Berkshires and their tenders had to be subcontracted to Lima Locomotive Works, as Alcos tender shop had been closed. The building was converted to diesel locomotive manufacture, to compete with locomotives manufactured by the automobile industry, joseph Burroughs Ennis was a senior vice president between 1917 and 1947 and was responsible for the design of many of the locomotives manufactured. The company diversified into the business in 1906, producing French Berliet designs under license. Production was located at Alcos Rhode Island Locomotive Works in Providence, two years later, the Berliet license was abandoned, and the company began to produce its own designs instead. An Alco racing car won the Vanderbilt Cup in both 1909 and 1910 and competed in the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911, driven on all three occasions by Harry Grant, but, ALCOs automotive venture was unprofitable, and they abandoned automobile manufacture in 1913. The Alco automobile story is notable chiefly as a step in the career of Walter P. Chrysler. In 1911 he left Alco for Buick in Detroit, Michigan, for a list of Alco diesel locomotive models, see List of ALCO diesel locomotives. Although strongly committed to the locomotive, Alco produced the first commercially successful diesel-electric locomotive in 1924 in a consortium with General Electric
29.
Switzerland
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Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a federal republic in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in western-Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km2. The establishment of the Old Swiss Confederacy dates to the medieval period, resulting from a series of military successes against Austria. Swiss independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The country has a history of armed neutrality going back to the Reformation, it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815, nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to international organisations. On the European level, it is a member of the European Free Trade Association. However, it participates in the Schengen Area and the European Single Market through bilateral treaties, spanning the intersection of Germanic and Romance Europe, Switzerland comprises four main linguistic and cultural regions, German, French, Italian and Romansh. Due to its diversity, Switzerland is known by a variety of native names, Schweiz, Suisse, Svizzera. On coins and stamps, Latin is used instead of the four living languages, Switzerland is one of the most developed countries in the world, with the highest nominal wealth per adult and the eighth-highest per capita gross domestic product according to the IMF. Zürich and Geneva have each been ranked among the top cities in the world in terms of quality of life, with the former ranked second globally, according to Mercer. The English name Switzerland is a compound containing Switzer, a term for the Swiss. The English adjective Swiss is a loan from French Suisse, also in use since the 16th century. The name Switzer is from the Alemannic Schwiizer, in origin an inhabitant of Schwyz and its associated territory, the Swiss began to adopt the name for themselves after the Swabian War of 1499, used alongside the term for Confederates, Eidgenossen, used since the 14th century. The data code for Switzerland, CH, is derived from Latin Confoederatio Helvetica. The toponym Schwyz itself was first attested in 972, as Old High German Suittes, ultimately related to swedan ‘to burn’
30.
Mercer (automobile)
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Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer from 1909 until 1925. It was notable for its cars, especially the Type 35 Raceabout. The Roeblings had extensive success with wire rope manufacturing and suspension bridge design, the secretary-treasurer was John L. Kuser, who, with his brothers Frederick and Anthony, had amassed a fortune from banking, bottling and brewing. Washington A. Roebling II was friends with William Walter, who had been making a number of high-quality automobiles in New York City. The Kusers owned a vacant brewery in Hamilton, New Jersey, however, Walter found himself deeply in debt by 1909, so the Roeblings and Kusers bought him out in a foreclosure sale. They changed the name to Mercer, named after Mercer County. Talented designers and race drivers contributed to the new effort, the result was one of the most admired sports cars of the decade, the 1910 Type-35R Raceabout, a stripped-down, two-seat speedster, designed to be safely and consistently driven at over 70 mph. It was capable of over 90 mph, the Raceabouts inline 4-cylinder T-head engine displaced 293 cubic inches and developed 55 horsepower at 1,650 revolutions per minute. It won five of the six 1911 races it was entered in, the Raceabout became one of the premier racing thoroughbreds of the era- highly coveted for its quality construction and exceptional handling. In the 1914 road races in Elgin, Illinois, two Raceabouts collided and wrecked, spencer Wishart, a champion racer who always wore shirt and tie under his overalls, was killed along with the cars mechanic, John Jenter. This prompted the company to cancel its racing program, the Raceabouts designer left the company that year, and subsequent designs did not live up to the glory and appeal the Type-35R had earned. Earlier in February 1914, Eddie Pullen, who worked at the factory from 1910, won the American Grand Prize held at Santa Monica, California, later that same year, Eddie also won The Corona Road Race held in Corona, California, on November 26. For winning the 300-mile big car event, Pullen won $4,000 and his average speed of 86.5 mph broke the record of 78.72 mph set by Teddy Tetzlaff at Santa Monica in 1912. A similar model 1913 Mercer Raceabout, known as a Model 35J, is on permanent display at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum in Philadelphia, PA, hare looked to expand, increasing Mercers models and production, and also purchasing the Locomobile & Crane-Simplex marques. Within a few years, the cost of these acquisitions and the recession took a financial toll on Hares Motors. Locomobile was liquidated and purchased by Durant Motors in 1922, and Mercer produced its last vehicles in 1925, an independent effort to revive the marque in 1931 resulted in only 3 vehicles being constructed and displayed. The company is owned by Fred Hoch of Schaeffer & Long
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Mercedes (marque)
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Mercedes was a brand of the Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft. DMG began to develop in 1900, after the death of its co-founder, by Jellineks contract, the new model contained a newly designed engine designated Daimler-Mercedes. This engine name is the first instance of the use of the name, Mercedes, the automobile design would later be called, the Mercedes 35 hp. Later he contracted with DMG for a series of dedicated sports cars containing an engine that officially bore his daughters name. He raced them successfully, gaining recognition that increased interest in customers. This model was a significant advancement in the history of automobiles, Jellinek seems to have become obsessed with the name and even had his name changed to Jellinek-Mercedes. Maybach quit DMG in 1907 and started up his own business, and Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft in that year. Since Jellinek was a member of the board of directors by the time of the merger, Mercedes was a brand in the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft which began to develop in 1901, after the death of its co-founder, Gottlieb Daimler. This caused DMG to abandon racing, the contract also included an order for 36 standard DMG8 hp cars. The first one was not delivered to Jellinek until 22 December, however, Jellinek laid down strict specifications for the new model stating I dont want a car for today or tomorrow, it will be the car of the day after tomorrow. Over the next few months, Jellinek oversaw the development of the new car—at first by daily telegrams—and later by traveling to Stuttgart. He took delivery of the first one on 22 December 1900, at Nices railway station—it had already sold to the Baron Henry of Rothschild. In 1901, the car amazed the automobile world, Jellinek again won the Nice races, easily beating his opponents in all the capacity classes and reaching 60 km/h. The director of the French Automobile Club, Paul Meyan, stated, We have entered the Mercedes era, the records set by the new Mercedes 35 hp model amazed the entire automobile world. The number of employees increased from 340 in 1900 to 2,200 in 1904
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Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company
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Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company was an American automobile manufacturer based in Buffalo, New York, which was active from 1901 to 1938. Although best known for its luxury cars, Pierce-Arrow also manufactured commercial trucks, fire trucks, camp trailers, motorcycles. The forerunner of Pierce-Arrow was established in 1865 as Heinz, Pierce, the company was best known for its household items, especially its delicate, gilded birdcages. In 1872 George Norman Pierce bought out the two principals of the company, changed the name to George N. Pierce Company. The company failed in its attempt to build a car in 1900 under license from Overman. In 1903, it produced a car, the Arrow. In 1904 Pierce decided to concentrate on making a larger, more car for the upscale market. This became Pierces most successful product, the solidly built, four-cylinder car won the Glidden Trophy in 1905, an endurance run to celebrate the most reliable car. Thirty-three cars entered the 1100-mile race from New York City to Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, the noted industrial architect Albert Kahn designed the Pierce Arrow Factory Complex at Elmwood Avenue and Great Arrow Avenue in about 1906. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, Pierce sold all rights in the company in 1907, and he died three years later. In 1908, Pierce Motor Company was renamed The Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company, in 1909 US President William Howard Taft ordered two Pierce-Arrows to be used for state occasions, the first official cars of the White House. The Pierce-Arrows engine displacement started at a massive 11.7 L and was increased later to 13.5 L, in 1910 Pierce dropped its other 4-cylinder models and focused exclusively on 6-cylinder cars. The model 6-36, 6-48, and 6-66 continued for the next decade, starting in 1918, Pierce-Arrow adopted a four-valve per cylinder T-head inline-six engine, one of the few, if only, multi-valve flathead design engines ever made. In 1910 George N. Pierce died, in 1912 Herbert M. Dawley joined Pierce-Arrow, and designed almost every model until 1938. Until 1914, Pierce-Arrow also made a line of motorcycles including the Pierce Four and this gave the car an immediately visible distinction in front or side views. At night, the car appeared to have a wider stance, Pierce patented this placement, which endured until the final model of 1938, although Pierce always offered the customer the option of conventional headlamps. Only a minority ordered the option, a restored 1919 Pierce-Arrow is on display at the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library. An open-bodied Pierce-Arrow carried Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding to Hardings 1921 inauguration, the Pierce-Arrow was a status symbol, owned by many Hollywood stars and tycoons
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Doubleday (publisher)
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Doubleday is an American publishing company founded as Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 that by 1947 was the largest in the United States. It published the work of mostly U. S. authors under a number of imprints, in 2009 Doubleday was merged with Knopf Publishing Group to form the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. The firm was founded as Doubleday & McClure Company in 1897 by Frank Nelson Doubleday, one of their first bestsellers was The Days Work by Rudyard Kipling. Other authors published by the company in its early years include W. Somerset Maugham, theodore Roosevelt, Jr. later served as a vice-president of the company. In 1900, the company became Doubleday, Page & Company when Walter Hines Page joined as a new partner, in 1922, the founders son, Nelson Doubleday, joined the firm. In 1910, Doubleday, Page, and Co. moved its operations, the Doubleday company purchased much of the land on the east side of Franklin Avenue, and estate homes were built for many of its executives on Fourth Street. In 1916, company co-founder and Garden City resident Walter Hines Page was named Ambassador to Great Britain, in 1927, Doubleday merged with the George H. Doran Company, creating Doubleday, Doran, then the largest publishing business in the English-speaking world. In 1946, the company became Doubleday and Company, Nelson Doubleday, Jr. resigned as president, but continued as chairman of the board until his death on January 11,1949. Douglas Black took over and was president from 1946 to 1963, by 1947, Doubleday was the largest publisher in the US, with annual sales of over 30 million books. In 1980, the company bought the New York Mets baseball team and it defeated the Boston Red Sox to win the World Series in 1986 in a classic 7-game contest. The company had offices in London and Paris and wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with joint ventures in the UK and the Netherlands. Doubleday sold the company to Bertelsmann in 1986, and teamed up with minority owner Fred Wilpon to buy the Mets in his own name. In 1988, portions of the firm part of the Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group. In late 2008 and early 2009, the Doubleday imprint was merged with Knopf Publishing Group to form the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, image Books, Catholic Books—still a Doubleday unit as part of Doubleday Religious Publishing Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, a literary imprint established in 1990. Talese, the publisher and editorial director, is a senior vice president of Doubleday
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