From Equine to Engine
New York Historical Society. Unknown Date.
Until the 1890s, the three-wheel steam engine had not been able to compete with the speed and economy of the horse. Only after thousands of horses crowded city streets and created vast amounts of manure did carmakers like Henry Ford begin to market the automobile's advantages over the horse.
"For many city dwellers, the horse was old technology."
- Interview with Dan Dunn, Kenneth E. Behring Blackhawk Auto Museum
The Henry Ford. OnInnovation. 2010
"At the turn of the century, around 1900s, people were projecting how much horse manure there'd be, and that our cities would be inundated. Of course, the car solved that problem."
- Bill Gates, Microsoft Founder
 New York Times, June 10, 1894 |
The Significance of 1894 "One of the blessings of that social millennium which is surely to come.... will be the disappearance of horses from all cities." - New York Times Editorial, June 10, 1894 "But after the electric motor has been perfected and satisfactorily tested on the steel highways it will come into common use and early in the twentieth century the horse will be a rare object, except on the race track and on the bridle paths and carriage roads of the parks." - New York Times Editorial, June 10, 1894 |
"The silent 'horsepower' of this runabout is measurable, dependable and spontaneous. The horse power generated by supplies of hay and oats is variable, uncertain and irresponsive."
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 Heritage Center: Generations of GM History. 1902 |