Ohio has some incredible history, which not everyone will have heard of. Did you know that Ohio is the second largest for car production, employing nearly 110,000 people state-wide in the motor vehicle and related industries?
The state has made significant developments, not only in the automobile industry, but also the aviation industry. This article will explain some of the key factors that changed the history books forever.
Remember, depending on the state you drive in, it’s important to check what insurance policy you need. For example. Ohio auto insurance requires you to have liability coverage.
Keep reading to find out more.
The first automobile accident
Throughout most of the 20th century, the city of Detroit, Michigan, was known for American automobile manufacturing. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that was not the case. Instead, Ohio innovators in Cleveland were at the forefront of this new form of transportation technology.
Because of Ohio’s important role in the early automobile industry, the state was the site of numerous ‘firsts’ in automobile history. Among these, was the first automobile accident! In 1891, James William Lambert was involved in the first automobile accident in American history, in Ohio City.
Lambert’s vehicle, the first single-cylinder gasoline automobile, was carrying Lambert and another man when it hit a tree root, causing the car to hurtle out of control and smash into a post. Fortunately, injuries from this accident were only minor. Lambert proceeded to patent over six hundred inventions, mostly affiliated with the automobile industry.
His developments made a huge difference to the future of the automobile industry.
3, 2, 1… take off!
It’s not only cars that had an impact in Ohio!
Orville and Wilbur, known as the Wright brothers, were American aviation pioneers credited with inventing, building, and flying the world’s first successful motor-operated airplane. They made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft with the ‘Wright Flyer’ on December, 1903. The brothers were also the first to invent aircraft controls that made fixed-wing powered flight possible.
In 1904–1905, the Wright brothers developed their flying machine to make longer-running and more aerodynamic flights with the ‘Wright Flyer II’, followed by the first truly practical fixed-wing aircraft, the ‘Wright Flyer III’.
From the beginning of their aeronautical work, Wilbur and Orville focused on developing a reliable method of pilot control as the key to solving “the flying problem”. This approach differed significantly from other experimenters of the time, who put their emphasis on developing more powerful engines. Using a small home-built wind tunnel, the Wrights also collected more accurate data than anyone had before, enabling them to design more efficient wings and propellers.
The brothers gained the mechanical skills essential to their success by working for years in their Ohio-based shop with printing presses, bicycles, motors, and other machinery. Their work with bicycles, in particular, influenced their belief that an unstable vehicle such as a flying machine could be controlled and balanced with practice – which they achieved!
We hope this article has given you a taste of the automotive history Ohio has to offer – there is a lot of it! This state has contributed to a lot of the most famous inventions to this day.
