1852    Studebaker Brothers wagon company, precursor of the automobile manufacturer, is established.

1886    Karl Benz patents the first successful gasoline-driven automobile.

1887    Gottlieb Daimler unveils his first automobile which he test runs in Esslingen and Cannstatt, Germany.

1891    The first gasoline-powered car debuts in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.

1892    Charles Duryea claims to have driven the first automobile in the United States, in Springfield, Massachusetts.

1893    The first American-made automobile, built by the Duryea Brothers, is displayed.

1895    George B. Selden is granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile.

1896    Henry Ford completes the Ford Quadricycle, his first gasoline-powered automobile, and gives it a successful test run.

1899    Henry Bliss is the first person in the United States to be killed in an automobile accident.

1901    New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates. thumb

1908    The first production of the Ford Model T automobile was built at the Piquette Plant in Detroit, Michigan.

1911    Chevrolet officially enters the automobile market in competition with the Ford Model T.

1927    The first Volvo car premieres in Gothenburg, Sweden.

1930    The first diesel-engined automobile trip is completed, from Indianapolis, Indiana, to New York City.

1935    Sir Malcolm Campbell reaches a speed of 304.331 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, becoming the first person to drive an automobile over 300 mph

1942    Henry Ford patents a plastic automobile, which is 30% lighter than a regular car.

1947    Saab produces its first automobile.