History Lied to You: Henry Ford Didn’t Invent the First Gas-Powered Car
The idea that Henry Ford invented the first gas-powered car has stuck for over a century, but like many things in history, the truth isn’t so straightforward. Ford’s first ride didn’t go the way people imagine, and someone else actually beat him to the punch.
The First Smoke and Steam Machines
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Long before Ford dreamed up his Quadricycle, European inventors were testing ways to move without horses. In 1769, French engineer Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot built a steam-powered vehicle called the Fardier à vapeur. It looked like a cannon fused to a kettle, crawled at 2.5 mph, and needed water every 15 minutes. It wasn’t practical, but it proved that wheels could turn without animal power.
Over the next century, inventors kept trying, usually with more steam-driven machines. Most were unreliable, but progress picked up when Karl Benz built the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in 1885. It had three wheels, a gas engine, and worked well enough to actually be useful. In 1888, his wife Bertha took it on the world’s first road trip and traveled over 60 miles while fixing problems along the way, and buying fuel from a pharmacy.
America Joins the Race
In 1893, the Duryea brothers built the first widely recognized gas-powered car in the United States. They not only drove it but also raced it and managed to sell some. Just a few years later, Detroit saw its first gasoline automobile, built by Charles Brady King. On March 6, 1896, King drove his invention through the streets while attracting a crowd and even getting coverage in the Detroit Free Press. Pedaling behind on his bicycle was Henry Ford, still working on his own car.
Ford’s Rough First Ride
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Three months after King’s debut, Ford finished his own car: the Quadricycle. Getting it out of the shed was a comedy of errors. It didn’t fit through the door, so Ford knocked out bricks with an axe. Once on the road, the car broke down but was quickly fixed and kept running.
Unlike King’s run, Ford’s test drive had no crowd, reporters, or excitement. He sold that first car for $200 to fund another attempt, all while juggling his job as chief engineer at the Edison Illuminating Company and managing household finances with his wife, Clara.
Why Ford Still Matters
So why does Ford’s name dominate car history while King and the Duryeas are barely remembered? The answer is simple: invention and influence aren’t the same thing. Ford wasn’t the first to build a gas-powered car, but in 1908, he introduced the Model T, a car ordinary Americans could actually afford. In 1913, he perfected the moving assembly line and cut production time down to 93 minutes per car. With these changes, the automobile shifted from a luxury item to an everyday tool for workers, farmers, and families.