1769 - Nicolas Joseph Cugnot of France built first automobile (self-powered road vehicle powered by steam vs. gasoline-powered); recognized as first by British Royal Automobile Club, Automobile Club de France.

December 24, 1801 - Richard Trevithick drove three-wheeled steam-powered vehicle carrying seven passengers up a hill in Camborne, Cornwall, England; one of first automobiles in history; high-pressure steam engine was lighter, more powerful than low-pressure engine invented by James Watt; used to hoist loads in mines, drive locomotives and ships, run rolling mills. Trevithick  sometimes called "Father of the Steam Locomotive."

March 29, 1806 - Congress appropriated $30,000 for Army's Corps of Engineers to begin surveying for construction of Great National Pike, also known as Cumberland Road, first highway funded by national treasury; road stretched from Cumberland, MD through Appalachian Mountains to Wheeling, VA, on Ohio River; over $6 million appropriated for highway; 1811 - construction began, Corps of Engineers built road (important precedent for  military's involvement in building transportation routes that would be used for non-military purposes); 1818 - 130-mile road completed; 1850 - National Road reached all way to Indianapolis; 1856 - states through which Pike ran took control of highway; resulting network of roads greatly facilitated American expansion into western territory.

April 1, 1826 - Samuel Morey of New Hampshire received a patent for the internal combustion engine.

August 29, 1828 - Robert Turner, of Ward, MA (now Auburn, MA), received patent for a "Self-Regulating Wagon Brake".

February 25, 1837 - Thomas Davenport, of Brandon, VT,  received a patent for an "Electric Motor" ("Improvement in Propelling Machinery by Magnetism and Electro-Magnetism"); probably the first commercially successful electric motor; first to secure a US patent for his direct current motor.

1862 - Adam Opel founded Adam Opel AG to make household goods (sewing machines); April 10, 1863 - advertised sewing machines for first time; 1886 - expanded production to sell fully assembled bicycles in Germany; 1895 - made 2,000 bicycles a year, led Europe in sewing machine sales; 1899 - started to build cars; first Opel automobile named "Opel-Patent-Motorwagen System Lutzmann"; 1906 - one-thousandth Opel automobile left factory; 1920s -  world’s largest bicycle producer; 1928 - Germany’s largest automobile manufacturer (37.5% market share);  March 17, 1929 - 80% interest  acquired by General Motors for just under $26 million (100% control acquired by 1931; part of Alfred Sloan's corporate policy of buying existing companies in countries with desirable markets vs. entering foreign markets by setting up manufacturing subsidiaries a la Ford).

August 14, 1877 - Nicolaus Otto, of Deutz, Germany, received a patent for "Gas-Motor Engines"; internal combustion engine.

April 23, 1878 - Benjamin H. Taylor, of Rosedale, MI, received a patent for a "Rotary-Engine" ("construction and arrangement of a rotary engine").

1880 - Georges Thadee Bouton, Charles-Armand Trepardoux (brother-in-law) established Trépardoux et Cie, ingénieurs-constructeurs" in Paris; manufactured small models for Ducretet, scientific toys for toy sellers Giroux; 1882 - with Comte Albert de Dion, formed company called De Dion-Bouton et Trépardoux et Cie; 1883 - produced first steam quadricycle; May 1883 - received French patent on it; 1884 - produced second steam quadricycle; 1887 - produced first steam tricycle; 1893 - produced first steam tractor; Trepardoux left company; 1894 - formed  "De Dion-Bouton et Cie" company; 1897 - 200 workers; 1899 - produced first De Dion Bouton petrol engine four wheel car - type D; 1900 - world's largest carmaker with annual production of 400 cars, 3,200 engines; 1901 - 1,300 employees; December 1901 - front engine car exhibited for first time; 1906 - 2,3500 employees; 1907 - "Société Anonyme des Taxis-Autos De Dion-Bouton" formed; 1908 - first V8 engine; 1914 - more than 6,000 employees; 1932 - de Dion withdrew from company (had stopped making cars).

April 18, 1882 - Gottlieb Daimler and his protégé, Wilhelm Maybach, agreed to create high-speed internal combustion engine for purpose of propelling vehicles; 1883 - finished their first gas-powered engine; 1887 - constructed first water-cooled, gas-powered internal combustion engine.

October 1883 - Karl Benz founded Benz & Cie. in Mannheim, Germany.

1884 - Rinaldo Piaggio (24) founded Piaggio (manufacturer of Vespa motor scooters) in Genoa, Italy for luxury ship fitting; 1946 - Corradino D'Ascanio, Piaggio's chief aeronautical engineer, designed aircraft-inspired two-wheel vehicle built on unibody steel chassis; "Sembra una Vespa" ("it looks like a wasp'); 1949 - 35,000 Vespas manufactured, 1959 - one million.

April 3, 1885 - Gottlieb Daimler received German patent for 1-cylinder water-cooled engine design (solved problem posed by  tremendous heat produced by internal combustion engines).

August 29, 1885 - Gottlieb Daimler received patent for "vehicle with gas or petroleum drive machine"; first motorcycle; very popular after 1910 (used heavily by all branches of armed forces during World War I), lagged during the Great Depression, regained popularity after World War II.

November 10, 1885 - Paul Daimler, son of German engineer Gottlieb Daimler, became first motorcyclist when he rode his father's new invention for six miles; frame and wheels made of wood; leather belt transferred power from engine to large brass gears mounted to rear wheel; no suspension (front or rear); single cylinder engine had bore of 58mm, stroke of 100mm giving a displacement of 264cc's, gave 0.5hp at 700 rpm, top speed was 12 km/h.

January 29, 1886 - Karl Benz received a German patent for a "Vehicle Propelled by a Gas Engine" (first functional unit of an engine with a chassis) called "Patent-Motorwagen", three-wheeled automobile powered by an internal-combustion engine, first practical internal-combustion vehicle ever constructed; one cylinder, output at 400 rpm produced a top speed of 10 mph; July 3, 1886 - first public test-drive in and around Mannheim, maximum speed 10 mph; 1893 - Benz completed first four-wheeled motorcar, Benz Velo, became the world's first inexpensive, mass-produced car;.

April 19, 1892 - Charles E. Duryea and his brother, Frank, in Springfield, MA, completed prototype of first commercially successful American automobile.

February 23, 1893 - Rudolf Diesel received a patent in Germany for diesel engine; burns fuel oil rather than gasoline, uses high compression of the gases in the cylinder  to ignite the fuel; greater fuel efficiency is counter-balanced by its higher emissions of soot, odor, and air pollutants; July 16, 1895 - Rudolf Diesel received a U. S. patent for the Diesel engine.

March 1, 1897 - Alexander Winton organized Winton Motor Carriage Company in Cleveland, Ohio (after 12 years in bicycle manufacturing business); 1901 - Henry Ford passed over for a mechanic's job with Winton's company; 1903 - Winton drove his car from San Francisco to New York to prove the reliability of his vehicles.

August 21, 1897 - Ransom Eli Olds formed Olds Motor Vehicle Company in Lansing, MI with capital of $50,000; November 23, 1897 - received his first patent, for a "Motor-Carriage" ("the motive power is produced by a gasolene-motor...road-vehicle that will meet most of the requirements for the ordinary uses on the road without complicated gear or requiring engine of great power and to avoid all unnecessary weight"); gasoline-powered vehicle constructed year before; May 8, 1899 - incorporated Olds Motor Works; formed by merger of Olds Motor Vehicle and Olds Gasoline Engine Works; 1901 - produced Olds Runabout, small, motorized buggy with curved dashboard, lightweight wheels, powered by one-cylinder engine capable of reaching 20mph; sold 425 Runabouts in first year, 2,500 in next; February 15, 1902 - ran its first national automobile advertisement in Saturday Evening Post; 1904 - sales peaked above 5,000 vehicles.

November 4, 1902 - James W. Packard, William Hatcher, of Warren, OH, received a patent for a Controlling Mechanism for Motor-Vehicles" ("means whereby the vehicle may be stopped, started, and reversed and its speed controlled by the simple forward-and-back movement of a controlling-lever"); "H" gear shift pattern (reverse, neutral, drive, second gear, low operating mode of transmission).

1903 - Jonathan Dixon Maxwell and Benjamin Briscoe (sheet metal contractor) founded Maxwell Briscoe Motor Co. (Tarryown, NY); 1908 - Hugh Chalmers recruited to E.R.Thomas-Detroit Co. (founded 1905) from National Cash Register; renamed Chalmers-Detroit (changed to Chalmers in 1910); 1910 - Briscoe formed United Motors out of Columbia Motor Car Co. (founded 1897 by Albert Augustus Pope to manufacture gas, electric vehicles), Brush Motor Car Co. (founded 1907 by Frank Briscoe, brother, and Alanson P. Brush to build one cylinder engine, chain drive, wooden frame, wooden axles Brush Runabout), and Maxwell Briscoe; 1912 - United Motors collapsed; 1914 - Maxwell reorganized Maxwell Briscoe into Maxwell Motors (only firm to emerge from United Motors); August 1920 - Walter Chrysler joined company; 1922 - Chalmers merged with Maxwell; development of a new car to bear Chrysler name began; Chalmers discontinued.

February 28, 1903 - Henry Ford hired John F. and Horace E. Dodge to supply the chassis and running gear for his 650 Ford automobiles; 1910 - Dodge Brothers had become the largest parts-manufacturing firm in the U.S., manufactured car bodies for Henry Ford and Ransom Olds; 1914 - brothers founded the Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company, began work on their first automobiles.

May 19, 1903 - David Dunbar Buick, former plumbing inventor and manufacturer, incorporated Buick Motor Co. in Detroit, MI (formed in 1902 when  Buick agreed to partnership with Briscoe Manufacturing Company in exchange for writing off Buick's debts, establishing $100,000 capitalization for Buick's car company); summer 1903 - began production with Model B (37 by end of 1904);  September 11, 1903 - acquired by Flint Wagon Works for $10,000; hired William Durant to turn business around; kept Buick on as manager until 1908; January 22, 1904 - Buick Motor Co. Of Detroit dissolved; January 30, 1904 - Buick Motor Co. Of Flint incorporated; July 27, 1904 - Dr. Herbert Hills of Flint, MI purchased first Buick automobile ever sold; November 1, 1904 - financial problems, acquired by William C. "Billy" Durant, Flint's carriage "king"; 1905 - took orders for 1,000 Buicks at New York Auto Show (before company had built 40); 1906 - Buick (52) severed his link with company; 1908 - No. 1 producer of automobiles (8,000) --surpassed combined production of Ford and Cadillac, closest competitors (basis for founding of General Motors); June 2, 1925 - General Motors Corporation registered "Buick" trademark first used in January 1904 (motor-driven vehicles).

July 23, 1903 - First twin-cylinder internal combustion engine Ford Model A delivered to its owner, Dr. Ernst Pfenning of Chicago. Model A was result of a partnership between Henry Ford and Detroit coal merchant Alexander Malcomson; designed primarily by Ford's assistant C. Harold Wills, was the affordable runabout that Ford needed to begin marketing his company's stock; second Model A, released in November of 1927, was a great success. Between 1927 and 1931, 4.3 million Model A Fords were made.

August 31, 1903 - Packard automobile completed a 52-day journey from San Francisco to New York, became first car to cross U.S. under its own power.

October 22, 1903 - Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers (ALAM) filed suit against Ford Motor Company as an unlicensed (by ALAM) manufacturer of internal combustion vehicles (controlled 1895 Selden patent); claimed patent applied to all gasoline-powered automobiles; ALAM launched PR campaign, threatened to sue those who bought Ford automobiles; September 15, 1909 - presiding Judge Merrill Hough of US District Court for southern district of New York found Selden patent legitimate; January 9, 1911 - court of appeals overturned ruling, found in favor of Ford; ALAM did not contest ruling.

November 24, 1903 - Clyde J. Coleman, of New York City, received patent for a "Means for Operating Motor Vehicles" ("for starting the engine by the application of power thereto and for utilizing the power of the engine when the engine is self-actuated for the purpose of storing energy"); automobile electric self-starter (invented by him in 1899 but impractical); assigned to Rockaway Automobile Company; Delco Company bought the license, subsequently taken over by the General Motors Corporation; 1911 - Charles Kettering installed modified self-starter in Cadillac cars; eliminated dangerous job of cranking the engine, put women behind the wheel in greater numbers.

December 24, 1903 - England issued its first automobile license plate, number A1. The plate was issued to Earl Russel, the brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell.

1904 - Canada's car manufacturing industry started with Henry Ford’s plant in Windsor, Ontario.

1904 - Carl Fisher, Fred Avery (held patent for pressing carbide gas into tanks) formed Presto-O-Lite Corporation to manufacture car headlamps; 1910 - Fisher was a multimillionaire.

1904 - Rand McNally's first automobile road map, New Automobile Road Map of New York City & Vicinity, published.

January 1, 1904 - The Motor Car Act 1903 came into force in Britain; required registration of motor vehicles with local council (1 pound for a motor car licence, 5 shillings for a motor cycle licence, vehicles were to display registration marks in a prominent position); speed limit raised to 20mph (or 10mph by the Local Government Boards), heavy fines for speeding and reckless driving introduced.

January 19, 1904 - Thomas A. Edison received a patent for an "Electrical Automobile" ("electrical automobile in which the driving-motor may be conveniently and effectively utilized for the purpose of charging the batteries"); small steam engine connected to the armature of electric motor; converted to generator for charging the batteries when rotation of the motor-armature reversed.

May 4, 1904 - Charles Stewart Rolls, son of Lord Llangattock. Rolls, sold cars in Mayfair, met Frederick Royce in Manchester; March 1906 - founded, registered manufacturer Rolls-Royce Ltd.

May 31, 1904 - Byron J. Carter, of Jackson, MI, received a U.S. patent for "Transmission-Gearing"; "friction-drive" mechanism replaced conventional transmission to provide more precise control of a car's speed; never really caught on, proved susceptible to poor road conditions; technology involved in the friction-drive is, however, related to today's disc brakes.

August 27, 1904 - Newport, Rhode Island, imposed first jail sentence for a speeding violation.

November 22, 1904 - Mathias Pfatischer of Phildadelphia, PA, received a patent for a "Variable Speed Motor" ("applicable to direct-current shunt-wound motors...which will effect commutation without sparking with a variable load as well as at a variable speed and which is capable of rotation in either direction").

1905 - Albert Joseph Champion started Albert Champion Company at Cyclorama building in Boston, MA with Frank D. and Spencer Stranahan; sold imported ignition items, manufactured magnetoes, spark plugs; October 26, 1908 - Champion incorporated Champion Ignition Company, in Flint, MI, with backing of Buick Motor Co., for manufacturing of spark plugs; Stranahans refused to sell rights to "Champion" name;  1922 - name changed to AC Spark Plug Company; April 28, 1931 - registered "A C" trademark first used in 1912 (spark plugs and spark-plug porcelains); 1933 - became division of GM.

1905 - Herbert Austin, former manager of the Wolseley Tool and Motor Car Company, founded The Austin Motor Company at Longbridge, South Birmingham, England; first car - chain-driven 25/30HP; 1922 - Austin Seven introduced; 1952 - merged with Nuffield Organisation (parent company of Morris), formed British Motor Corporation (later British Leyland) with Leonard Lord in charge.

March 1905 - John Marston (63) formed Sunbeam Motor Car Company Limited with starting capital of £40,000; cars made at Moorfield Works, off Villiers Street in Wolverhampton, UK; introduced 12hp. Sunbeam, powered by 2.66litre, 4 cylinder engine (about 172 built, old for £451.10s.); 1918 - Thomas Cureton succeeded as Chairman; 1920 - merged with Darracq (built first car in 1900) and Talbot (established in 1902 as Clement-Talbot Company, acquired by Darracq in 1919), formed S.T.D. group (Sunbeam, Talbot, Darracq); July 1935 - acquired by Rootes Securities.

January 13, 1906 - First automobile show of the American Motor Car Manufacturers Association (AMCMA) opened in New York City at the 69th Regiment Armory.

March 15, 1906 - Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce registered Rolls-Royce Ltd.; launched six-cylinder Silver Ghost; hailed as 'the best car in the world' within a year.

October 22, 1906 - Henry Ford became President of Ford Motor Company.

1907 - Louis Chevrolet became a team driver for Buick; 1910 -  Chevrolet and William Durant formed the Chevrolet Motor Company; 1914 - formed the Frontenac Motor Corp., ostensibly to produce high-class touring cars; March 31, 1914 - Chevrolet Motor Company registered "Chevrolet" trademark first used July 22, 1913 (automobiles, motor-vehicles, and parts thereof).

1908 - John North Willys, successful car dealer of Overland vehicles in Elmira, NY, bought Overland Automotive Company (founded 1903 in Terre Haute, IN as automotive division of Standard Wheel Company; developed supply problems in 1907); 1912 - renamed Willys-Overland Company; 1915 - second largest carmaker in U.S.; 1916 - produced over 140,000 cars; 1920 - company $46 million in debt;  hired Walter Chrysler for $1 million per year salary to turn company around; 1921 - Chrysler left company to go into business for himself after failed takeover attempt; March 1930 - May 1932 - Willys appointed U.S. Ambassador to Poland; 1933 - bankruptcy reorganization; 1936 - emerged from bankruptcy, renamed Willys-Overland Motors, Inc.

December 29, 1908 - Otto Zachow and William Besserdich, of Clintonville, WI received a patent for a "Power-Applying Mechanism" ("whereby the power may be applied to front and rear axles"); four-wheel braking system, prototype of all modern braking systems.

February 24, 1909 - Joseph L. Hudson, Detroit department store entrepreneur, Howard E. Coffin incorporated Hudson Motor Car Company in Detroit, MI; July 3, 1909 - began production with  Model 20; company had several 'firsts' for auto industry: self starter, dual brakes, first balanced crankshaft (allowed the Hudson straight-6 engine to work at higher rotational speed while remaining smooth, developed more power than lower-revving engines); 1929 - peak production year (300,000 cars produced), third in the industry behind Ford and Chevrolet; 1951 - introduced Hornet, became dominant force on NASCAR circuit (1952 - won 29 of 34 events);  January 14, 1954 - merged with Nash Motors,  became American Motors; 1957 - name discontinued.

July 29, 1909 - Buick Motor Company acquired Cadillac Motor Company (formed by William Murphy, Henry Leland in 1902) on behalf of General Motors for $4.5 million;

August 1902 - William Murphy, Henry Leland formed Cadillac - produced 2,500 by the end of 1903; established a reputation for exacting quality under Leland's detail-oriented supervision; November 1908 - Benjamin Briscoe made a bid for Cadillac, but unable to get enough backing to carry the deal; William Durant purchased Cadillac for cash, kept Leland on as management, saying, "I want you to continue to run Cadillac exactly as though it were still your own. You will receive no directions from anyone."

September 15, 1909 - New York judge ruled that Henry Ford had infringed on George Selden's 1895 patent for a "Road Engine"; decision later overturned when it became plain that Selden had never intended to actually manufacture his "road engine." Selden's own "road engine" prototype, built in the hope of strengthening his case, only managed to stagger along for a few hours before breaking down.

1910 - William Morris, bicycle manufacturer, founded Morris Motor Company (MMC); 1913 - opened factory Cowley, Oxford, UK; produced first cars, two-seater Oxford model; 1920s - Oxford, Cowley models became best selling cars in UK; 1924 - overtook Ford, became UK's biggest car manufacturer, held a 51% share of home market; 1927 - acquired Wolseley Motor Company, 1929 - Morris Minor introduced to compete with Austin Seven; powered by an 847cc OHC engine; 1935 - launched popular 918cc Morris Eight (more than 250,000 sold); 1938 - William Morris became Viscount Nuffield; merged MCC and MG with newly acquired Riley, formed Nuffield Organisation; 1948 - Morris Minor re-engineered; first BMC car to sell more than a million; 1952 - Nuffield Organisation (Morris, MG, Riley, Wolseley) merged with rival Austin Motor Company, formed British Motor Corporation (BMC);  Austin's Leonard Lord in charge, dominated organization; 1960s -  employed 250,000 people, Longbridge factory one of biggest in world; April 8, 2005 - collapsed under  debts of $1.7 billion, loss of more than 5,000 jobs; July 22, 2005 - MG Rover Group acquired by Nanjing Automobile for $97 million; March 27, 2007 - revived MG brand, began production of MG sports cars.

1910 - "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili", A.L.F.A., was founded, under the direction of Cavalier Ugo Stella.

July 2, 1910 - Frank D. and Spencer Stranahan incorporated Champion Spark Plug Company in Toledo, OH (in accordance with manufacturing contract with Willys-Overland Company); July 18, 1911 - James D. Robertson, of Toledo, OH, received a patent  for a "terminal Clamp"; assigned to Champion Spark Plug Company; company's first patent; August 12, 1913 - registered "Champion" trademark first used in April 1907 (spark plugs); 1989 -  acquired for $600 million by Dana Corporation.

February 17, 1911 - Charles F. Kettering delivered first operating self-starting mechanism to Cadillac; installed in t1912 Cadillac; relied on storage battery that supplied  24-volt charge to starter to ignite engine, battery then switched to six volts to feed back into battery, recharge it (received patent in 1915); gave women access to cars for first time, broadened market for  automobile 

May 9, 1911 - Thomas H. Flaherty, of Pittsburgh, PA, received a patent for a "Signal for Crossing" ("particularly at the crossings of street car tracks, at the intersection of two or more streets"); first U. S. patent application for a traffic signal design.

July 22, 1911 - General Motors organized General Motors Truck Company later GMC) to handle sales of GM's Rapid and Reliance products.

1912 - Masujiro Hashimoto founded Kwaishinsha Motor Car Company, produced experimental automobile called DAT in honor of three financial backers ("D" was for Kenjoro Den who helped organize the original company; "A" was for Rokuro Aoyama, childhood friend, "T" was for Meitaro Takeuchi, cousin of a former prime minister who helped arrange financing; roughly translated  means "hare", "fast rabbit", or "very fast"); 1917 - company restructured due to financial difficulties; taken over by its sales agency, renamed Dat Motor Vehicle Co. 1926 - merged with Jitsuyo Jidosha Seizo ('Practical Automobile Company'), formed Dat Automobile Manufacturing Co. of Osaka; concentrated on building trucks; 1930 - company reorganized, renamed DATSON ("the son of DAT"); spelling later changed to DATSUN; 1931 - assets and shares of the DAT Jidosha Seizo company acquired by THE TOBATA IMONO COMPANY (foundry company owned by Yoshisuke Ayukawa, founder of NISSAN conglomerate in 1928); operated as division; 1933 - separated from parent company, established as independent company named Jidosha Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha; May 1934 - name of independent auto company changed to NISSAN MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED; 1935 - NISSAN exported first automobiles to Australia; 1944 - renamed Nissan Heavy Industries (held until 1949); 1958 - entered U.S. market (sold 83 cars); September 28, 1960 - Nissan Motor Corp U.S.A. formed in Gardena, CA; 1968 - introduced 510 (made Nissan, or Datsun, name in US, many other nations; balance of engineering, styling, cost); October 1969 - production started on Datsun 240 Z; September 8, 1986 - Nissan opened plant in Sunderland, England, first Japanese automobile factory in Europe.

January 11, 1913 - World's first 'hardtop' (closed production) car introduced: Hudson Motor Car Company's Model 54 sedan; (earlier automobiles had open cabs or convertible roofs).

January 16, 1913 - Frank Duryea introduced first closed car for four passengers at Stanley Motor Show.

January 14, 1914 - Henry Ford announced newest advance in assembly line production of 'modern' cars, continuous motion method; reduced assembly time per car from over 12 hours to 93 minutes.

November 14, 1914 - John and Horace Dodge completed their first Dodge vehicle, known as "Old Betsy", test drove it, shipped to a buyer in Tennessee; 1897 - began their business career as bicycle manufacturers; 1901 - entered the automotive industry as auto parts manufacturers (largest parts-manufacturing firm in the United States by 1910); 1914 - founded the new Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company; 1919 - Dodge brothers were among the richest men in America; 1920 - John dies from respiratory problems, Horace died from pneumonia; company sold to a New York bank; May 28, 1928 - Chrysler Corporation bought the Dodge name, its factories, and the large network of Dodge car dealers.

March 7, 1916 - Manufacturing firms of Karl Rapp (Rapp-Motorenwerke) and Gustav Otto (Otto-Werke) merged, formed Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke AG (BFW, Bavarian Aircraft Works); July 21, 1917 - Rapp-Motorenwerke renamed Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH (Bavarian Motor Works or BMW); August 13, 1918 - converted to stock corporation (one-third financing from Camillo Castiglioni (Austrian financier,  banker); Franz Josef Popp named General Manager); 1922 - sold engine production operations, BMW name to Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke, moved to BFW site; 1923 - built first motorcycle (BMW R12, first to have telescopic hydraulic front fork); 1929 - built ifirst car, Dixi; 1936 - Flugmotorenfabrik Eisenach GmbH established; 1939 - BMW incorporated into name; 1945 - lost control of assets (until 1949); 1948 - BMW R24 motorcycle first post-war product (18% exported by 1950); 1951 - completed first postwar car, 501; December 9, 1959 - Herbert Quandt, head of battery manufacturer Accumulatorenfabrik AG (AFA), later named Varta AG, 30% owner (acquired by his father, Gunther Quandt),  rejected acquisition overture of Daimler-Benz, increased share ownership to 50%; 1960 - restructured company; 1961 - introduced 1500 model, first sporty family sedan, in Frankfurt (4-door sedan, 4-cylinder engine, independent suspension,  MacPherson struts at front, semi-trailing arms at rear,  traditional BMW "kidney" grilles); 1969 -Eberhard von Künheim (40) named managing director; transformed BMW into premium brand

March 25, 1920 - Walter P. Chrysler resigned as executive vice president in charge of automotive operations for General Motors (GM) due to William Durant's micromanagement style; 1912 - while employed by the American Locomotive Company, Buick President Charles Nash offered Chrysler position in Flint, MI - revolutionized company's mass production capabilities); 1916 - William Durant forced Nash out, offered Buick presidency to Chrysler at $500,000 a year (previously made $25,000 a year) -  initiated GM's purchase of Fisher Body Plant.

September 4, 1922 - William Lyons (21) and William Walmsley (9) launched Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool, UK, to produce sidecars for motorcycles; financed with bank overdraft of £1000 guaranteed by their respective fathers; 1926 - name changed to Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company; 1931 - launched legendary S.S.1, precursor to first true Jaguar; 1935 - Jaguar name was born to reflect speed, power and sleekness; World War II - Swallow Sidecar name dropped, politically incorrect SS initials dropped, Jaguar Cars Ltd. formally established; 1948 - first significant postwar Jaguar, XK 120, introduced at the London Motor Show to great acclaim; fastest production car in world, considered by many to be one of finest sports cars ever made; 1961 - announced E-type; November 11, 1989 - became a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company.

1923 - Vincent Bendix founded Bendix Brake Company (had developed, manufactured electric starter drives since 1914); 1924 - introduced the first reliable four-wheel brake system; eventually created first four-wheel brake system for automobiles; 1928 - produced 3,600,000 brakes per year, chiefly for General Motors Corporation; 1929 - company renamed the Bendix Aviation Corporation to signify a new direction for company; 1942 - started Bendix Helicopters, Inc.; 1960 - company renamed Bendix Corporation; 1982 - acquired by Allied Corporation.

March 1, 1937 - First permanent automobile license plates issued (Connecticut).

May 26, 1937 - Union leaders, Ford Service Department men clashed in violent confrontation on Miller Road Overpass outside Gate 4 of Ford River Rouge Plant in Dearborn, MI (three months after UAW achieved its first landmark victory at Ford, had forced company to negotiate policy toward organized labor by staging  lengthy sit-down strike at Rouge complex); UAW organizers Walter Reuther, Bob Kanter, J.J. Kennedy, Richard Frankensteen were distributing leaflets among workers at Rouge complex when   approached bygang of Bennett's men; Ford Servicemen brutally beat four unionists while many other union sympathizers, including 11 women, were injured in resulting melee - Battle of the Overpass.

June 5, 1937 - Henry Ford initiated 32 hour work week.

June 15, 1937 - Harold T. Ames, of Chicago, IL, chief executive of Duesenberg, received a patent for a "Headlight Structure"; retractable headlamps (defining detail on Cord 810); assigned to Cord Corporation.

April 10, 1944 - Henry Ford II, grandson and namesake of Henry Ford, named executive vice president of the Ford Motor Company; confirmed his bid to become the heir to his grandfather's throne at Ford; strongman Harry Bennett (power at Ford for his suppression of organized labor) attempted to bring Henry II under his influence, to no avail; September 21, 1945 - succeeded his father as president of the Ford Motor Company.

March 16, 1958 - Ford Motor Company produced 50,000,000th car, a Thunderbird.

March 18, 1958 - Plastone Company Inc. registered "Turtle Wax 'Hard Shell Finish' Auto Polish" trademark first used January 11, 1955 (automobile polish).

August 19, 1958 - Production of elegant Packard line halted halt due to lagging luxury car sales; came shortly after Packard's acquisition of Studebaker, management of which assumed control of company after merger.

June 4, 1959 - Kihachiro Kawashima selected as Executive Vice President, General Manager of American Honda Motor Company (seven employees, operating capital of $250,000.); opened shop in small storefront office on Pico Boulevard in Los Angeles to serve consumers wanting small, light, easy to handle and maintain two-wheeled vehicles.

January 16, 1965 - Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson and President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Canada-United States Automotive Agreement (Auto Pact); eliminated trade tariffs between the two countries, created single North American manufacturing market; Americans got a continental-wide free trade zone in auto parts, Canadians won production guarantees and content requirement (all auto product imports south of their border would come from Canada); elevated industrial policy to the international level; more efficient market lowered prices, increased production created thousands of jobs and wages for Canadians;  automobile and parts production surpassed pulp and paper, became Canada's most important industry; trade deficit turned to trade surplus (billions of dollars annually to Canada); left Canadian automobile industry in hands of American corporations; 1987 - comprehensive U.S.-Canada free trade agreement supplanted Auto Pact (invalidated by WTO invalidated as obstacle to free trade.

January 28, 1965 - General Motors released estimate of company's earnings for fiscal year 1964: $1.735 billion, largest profit ever reported by an American company (strong sales, strong economy, Pontiac GTO introduction).

August 11, 1965 - Ford Bronco, intended to compete against Jeep's CJ-5, International Harvester's Scout, introduced, very simple, without options as power steering, automatic transmission (manufactured for 12 years, with 18,000 produced in 1966 alone).

October 20, 1965 -Last 544 driven off Volvo assembly line at  Lundy plant in Sweden; 1958 - first-year 544 sales put Volvo over 100,000-exported automobiles mark; total of 440,000 Volvo PV544s produced, over half exported.

December 7, 1965 - Chevrolet produced 3,000,000th car for year (first time ever).

February 10, 1966 - Ralph Nader testified before Senate, reinforced his earlier claims that automobile industry was socially irresponsible, detailed methods industry used in attempting to silence him; attacked automotive industry's unwillingness to consider safety of consumer; created methodology for contemporary consumer advocacy of federally regulated safety standards.

March 16, 1966 - General Motors produced 100,000,000th car, an Oldsmobile Toronado.

September 11, 1970 - Ford Pinto introduced; cost less than $2,000, designed to compete with compact imports; contained a fatal design flaw - placement of the gas tank meant tank was likely to rupture and explode if car was involved in a rear end collision of over 20mph. Eventually revealed that Ford knew about the design flaw before the Pinto's release. An internal cost-benefit analysis calculated a cost to Ford of $11 per car to correct the flaw, a total $137 million to  the company (compared to $49.5 million in potential lawsuits from the mistake and an assigned a value of $200,000 for each death predicted to result from the flaw).  Report concluded that correcting the design mistake was "inefficient". 1978 - a California jury awarded a record-breaking $128 million to a claimant in the Ford Pinto case.

May 13, 1980 - Douglas A. Fraser, president of the UAW, named to Chrysler Corporation Board of Directors, first union representative ever to sit on board of major U.S. corporation; 1982 - faced with Chrysler's imminent collapse, Fraser traded millions of dollars in union guarantees (to save jobs) for options on Chrysler stock; Chrysler turnaround rewarded union.

October 26, 1980 - General Motors announced a $567 million loss, biggest quarterly drop ever posted by an American company; pre-tax losses for quarter topped out at $953 million.

May 15, 1981 - 20,000,000th Volkswagen Beetle produced at  Volkswagen plant in Puebla, Mexico; 1954 - first came to Mexico as part of museum exhibit entitled "Germany and Its Industry" (250 Beetles were assembled in Mexico); 1962 - acquired first assembly plant in Xalostoc, eventually assembled 50,000 Beetles.

December 8, 1981 - Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, automotive division of Mitsubishi conglomerate of Japan, began selling cars in U.S. under its own name (previously only in partnerships with American automakers).

September 9, 1982 - Henry Ford II retired; took over from his father as President of Ford Motor company in 1945: 1) quickly set about reorganizing and modernizing the company; 2) fired Personnel Chief Harry Bennett (strong-arm tactics, anti-union stance had made Ford notorious for its bad labor relations); 3) 'Whiz Kids" - brought in new talent (group of former U.S. Air Force intelligence officers, among them Robert McNamara); 3) greatly expanded international operations; 4) introduced two classic models, the Mustang and the Thunderbird.

December 26, 1985 - Ford introduced Taurus, product of years of engineering; named by Lewis Veraldi, "father" Taurus concept, John Risk, his chief planner (each of whose wives were born under astrological sign of the bull); base model sold for $9,645, equipped with 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine, front- wheel-drive, three-speed automatic transmission; became enormously popular, lifted Ford to record profits in late 1980s; October 29, 2006 - discontinued; 7 million built.