#31 Postcard Trivia 9.25.18
Postcard from the collection of J Garner. M.R. Schmidt & Co. Publishers, Wichita - Denver. 1913.
Ready for a drive, ladies? I love this image of two well-dressed ladies cruising through a neighborhood in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 1913. According to the information on the back of this vintage postcard, the well-planned streets are 100 feet wide and were designed in 1871 when the city was platted. The design came in handy when automobiles took over the roads. And how about those women drivers? Women as well as men were fascinated by the freedom and mobility provided by automobiles. Both rural and urban women were confident in their ability to handle the complex machines - after all, they had experience with household technology, buggies and teams of horses, and farm machinery. In the early years of automobiles, Americans eagerly took on the challenge of crank starters, bad roads, and uncomfortable, open-topped vehicles. The benefits of mobility were highly motivating. In the 1920’s, a woman was asked why her family chose to purchase a car instead of indoor plumbing. She reportedly replied, “You can’t drive to town in a bathtub!”
Trivia Question:
What innovation dramatically increased production of automobiles in the United States in 1913?
A. a new type of tire B. Henry Ford’s assembly line C. asphalt for roads
See answer below
Answer to Trivia Question:
B. Henry Ford’s assembly line production for the Model T was introduced in his Highland Park, Michigan, plant in 1913. In 1913, the United States produced 485,000 of the world’s 606,124 automobiles.
Source Links: