Design sketch for T-1 Locomotive Pennsylvania Railroad

Primary Source Spotlight: Transportation

Primary source sets Transportation primary source set with teacher’s guide Transportation image set Transportation maps Films & webcasts related to transportation Oral histories related to transportation Life history mentioning transportation Historical texts related to transportation Historical newspaper coverage: modes of transportation PSN curated primary source collections Air Balloons & Airships America’s Roadways B&O Railroad Bicycles Cable Cars C&O Canal…

Cornell-Liberty Safety Car

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Cornell-Liberty Safety Car

Look closely at the drawing and use a magnifying glass to decipher the notes. What did you learn? What safety features are recommended? Use the two articles linked to below to create a Brief History of Motor Vehicle Safety in the United States; you may choose to write an article or develop a timeline, infographic,…

First and ten millionth Ford

Today in History: Henry Ford

Today in History–July 30–the Library of Congress features automobile magnate Henry Ford, born on this date in 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan. When incorporating his company in 1903, Ford proclaimed, “I will build a car for the great multitude.” Ford made good on that proclamation, selling more than 15 million Model T cars in the United States alone.  Learn more about the…

Preliminary study 6 for Studebaker "Avanti" automobile

Today in History: Raymond Loewy

Today in History–March 22–the Library of Congress features industrial designer Raymond Loewy, who presented his designs for a sleek roadster he called the Avanti to the Studebaker Corporation on this day in 1961. Loewy designed cars for other companies too as well as locomotives and a wide assortment of both industrial and consumer products. Learn more about “father of…

Today in History: First American Automobile Race

Today in History: First American Automobile Race

Today in History–November 28–the Library of Congress features the first American automobile race, run on this day in 1895. Inventor J. Frank Duryea, battled snow and breakdowns to win the 54-mile race from Chicago’s Jackson Park to Evanston, Illinois in just over 10 hours. Learn more about early automobiles and the sport of auto racing by visiting…