1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of iHeart Radio. 2 00:00:05,360 --> 00:00:08,920 Speaker 1: Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 3 00:00:09,039 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: show that speeds through the mile markers of history, one 4 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: day at a time. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're 5 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,439 Speaker 1: looking at an important event in automotive history, a thrilling 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:24,919 Speaker 1: race through Chicago at White Knuckles speeds of up to 7 00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:37,720 Speaker 1: seven miles per hour. Hold onto your hats, everybody. The 8 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:45,080 Speaker 1: day was November. The first American Auto Race took place 9 00:00:45,120 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 1: in Chicago, Illinois, with six racers competing in custom handcrafted cars. 10 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: The fifty plus mile race began in downtown Chicago and 11 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: sent drivers all the way to Evanston and back again. 12 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:04,360 Speaker 1: The race was sponsored by the local Times Herald newspaper 13 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:08,240 Speaker 1: and was open to all qualifying vehicles, whether they were 14 00:01:08,280 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: powered by gas, electricity, or steam. The Times Harold put 15 00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: up five thousand dollars in prize money, which would be 16 00:01:17,319 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 1: more than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars today. Interestingly enough, 17 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:27,039 Speaker 1: the Times Harold also offered five hundred dollars to the 18 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:33,200 Speaker 1: reader who suggested the best replacement term for automobile. Apparently, 19 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: the newspapers publisher H. H. Cole Soot thought that automobile 20 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:44,480 Speaker 1: sounded quote too frenchy. The winning replacement word was motorcycle. 21 00:01:44,959 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: That's motorcycle without the R. So any time you hear 22 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:54,120 Speaker 1: that term today, just think car. As you probably figured out, 23 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: this was early days for the automobile, so early that 24 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:03,680 Speaker 1: even the name wasn't settled on. In Most people had 25 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 1: never seen a horseless carriage, and even fewer had driven 26 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: or ridden in one. Those who had weren't big fans either. 27 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: The noise and smell of an engine powered vehicle convinced 28 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: many people they were better off without it. In fact, 29 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: opposition to cars was so rampant in American cities that 30 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,799 Speaker 1: when pedestrians saw someone driving a car, they would yell 31 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:32,480 Speaker 1: get a horse. Of course, not everyone looked down on 32 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: this new form of transportation. Early gear heads and aspiring 33 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: car makers found a new hobby in building engines and 34 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: mounting them to different kinds of carriages. There was no 35 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: mass manufacturing of cars at the time. Innovations like the 36 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:52,400 Speaker 1: assembly line and the Model T were still over a 37 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: decade away. Instead, the vehicles were hand assembled by the 38 00:02:57,120 --> 00:03:01,560 Speaker 1: people who believed most in the car's Potentially. Racing these 39 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: machines was a natural extension of that passion. The world's 40 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: first car race had taken place earlier that summer in France. 41 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,240 Speaker 1: An American car enthusiasts thought that kind of excitement was 42 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 1: just what they needed to win over the public back home. H. H. 43 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 1: Coal Sot was one of those true believers. He announced 44 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: that the Times Herald Race would be held quote in 45 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: the belief that the invention and coming perfection of vehicle 46 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:35,480 Speaker 1: motors is destined to work a revolution in road transportation. 47 00:03:36,560 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 1: In that sense, the motorcycle race in wasn't just a competition. 48 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:45,360 Speaker 1: It was a way to prove that cars were a 49 00:03:45,400 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: safe and reliable way to travel. Coal Sot wanted as 50 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: many people as possible to see the demonstration, so he 51 00:03:53,400 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 1: originally planned the race for the fourth of July. However, 52 00:03:57,480 --> 00:04:00,880 Speaker 1: most competitors couldn't be ready by then, so the date 53 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:05,000 Speaker 1: was ultimately pushed all the way to Thanksgiving. That gave 54 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:08,920 Speaker 1: the drivers plenty of time to build and test their vehicles, 55 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,400 Speaker 1: but the rescheduling failed to consider what the weather would 56 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:17,160 Speaker 1: be in Chicago in late November. When the big day arrived, 57 00:04:17,320 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: there was a good five inches of slush on the streets, 58 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:24,520 Speaker 1: left over from a snowstorm. Two days earlier. The weather 59 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: was below freezing and the wind coming off the water 60 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: in Jackson Park made it even colder. Needless to say, 61 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 1: Cole Sat didn't get the big holiday crowd he had 62 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 1: hoped for. Reports of the true crowd size vary, but 63 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,640 Speaker 1: most accounts say there were a few hundred spectators at 64 00:04:42,640 --> 00:04:45,200 Speaker 1: the start of the race, with most of them leaving 65 00:04:45,240 --> 00:04:49,600 Speaker 1: once it was underway. In the end, only six cars 66 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: made it to the starting line that chilly morning. Four 67 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:56,320 Speaker 1: of those vehicles were gas powered. The first was an 68 00:04:56,360 --> 00:04:59,840 Speaker 1: American car that had been built by brothers Charles and 69 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:03,560 Speaker 1: Frank durry A with Frank and the driver's seat. The 70 00:05:03,640 --> 00:05:07,160 Speaker 1: other three gas vehicles were all built by German automaker 71 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:10,960 Speaker 1: Carl Benz. One of them was sponsored by the day 72 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:16,039 Speaker 1: la Verne Refrigerator Company, another raced for Macy's department store, 73 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 1: and the last had a private family sponsor. The final 74 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:23,600 Speaker 1: two entries were powered by electricity, but due to the 75 00:05:23,680 --> 00:05:27,679 Speaker 1: limitations of their batteries and the cold weather, both cars 76 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,960 Speaker 1: dropped out fairly soon into the race. No steam powered 77 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,400 Speaker 1: cars competed that day, though they probably would have had 78 00:05:35,440 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: a tough time in the cold as well. The race 79 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:43,680 Speaker 1: began at eight am with a staggered start. Frank durry 80 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 1: A set out first, and then the other drivers followed, 81 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:52,680 Speaker 1: with one minute intervals between each departure. Unfortunately, the final 82 00:05:52,800 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: driver had a hard time getting his gas vehicle started, 83 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,520 Speaker 1: and by the time he finally joined the race over 84 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:01,719 Speaker 1: an hour later, allly a dozen or so fans were 85 00:06:01,800 --> 00:06:04,720 Speaker 1: left to cheer him on. The good news for that 86 00:06:04,839 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: late driver was that the race wasn't a traditional dash 87 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: to the finish line. The drivers were individually timed from 88 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,880 Speaker 1: the moment they departed, and each car had a referee 89 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,880 Speaker 1: riding along to deduct time for any obstacles they encountered, 90 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: such as railroad crossings. With a top speed of about 91 00:06:24,480 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: seven miles per hour, the fifty plus mile race dragged 92 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: on well into the evening. By six thirty pm, a 93 00:06:32,360 --> 00:06:36,200 Speaker 1: series of mechanical failures had left just two cars in 94 00:06:36,240 --> 00:06:41,239 Speaker 1: the race, Frank Dryer and a Benz driver named Oscar Mueller. 95 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:44,760 Speaker 1: Durry A was in the lead and nearing the finish line, 96 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:48,159 Speaker 1: although few besides reporters would be on hand to see 97 00:06:48,160 --> 00:06:52,800 Speaker 1: his victory. According to Colest, the drivers acted as their 98 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:58,360 Speaker 1: own cheerleaders instead. As he put it, quote lacking spectators, 99 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:02,000 Speaker 1: except here and there a military workman on his way home. 100 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:06,600 Speaker 1: The men on the motor gave vent to war whoops, cheers, 101 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:11,480 Speaker 1: cat calls, and other manifestations of joy over the victory 102 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 1: they were winning. Finally, at seven eighteen pm, Frank durry 103 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,880 Speaker 1: A became the first across the finish line. All told, 104 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:24,880 Speaker 1: he had driven fifty two point four miles in ten 105 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:29,400 Speaker 1: hours and twenty three minutes. It may have taken a while, 106 00:07:29,440 --> 00:07:32,440 Speaker 1: but durry A didn't seem to mind. He was just 107 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,160 Speaker 1: happy to prove that his car could go the distance. 108 00:07:35,880 --> 00:07:39,560 Speaker 1: He said, quote the motor had at all times shown 109 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,040 Speaker 1: ample power, and at no time were we compelled to 110 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:48,880 Speaker 1: get out and push. The only other remaining driver, Oskar Mueller, 111 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:53,520 Speaker 1: arrived two hours after durry A. However, by then he 112 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 1: wasn't the one doing the driving. His referee had been 113 00:07:57,080 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: forced to take over after Mueller passed out from the cold. 114 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: The freezing driver did make a full recovery, and since 115 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 1: he technically came in second, he took home fift dollars 116 00:08:08,720 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: in prize money for his trouble. His experience also helped 117 00:08:12,680 --> 00:08:15,800 Speaker 1: squash the idea of racing so late in the year 118 00:08:16,360 --> 00:08:19,200 Speaker 1: the country's next auto race would be held on a 119 00:08:19,320 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: balmy Memorial Day weekend. So with just two finishing drivers 120 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:29,559 Speaker 1: and barely any spectators, the first American Automobile Race wasn't 121 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,359 Speaker 1: a total success, but it still helped prove the potential 122 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 1: of cars to a decreasingly skeptical public. A day after 123 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:43,079 Speaker 1: the race, several Midwest newspapers ran the same predictive headline. 124 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 1: It read three short words, course is foomed, I'm gave Louisier, 125 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,840 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 126 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,840 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you have a second 127 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:02,160 Speaker 1: and you're so inclined, come find us on Twitter, Facebook, 128 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:06,320 Speaker 1: and Instagram at t D I h C Show, And 129 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: if you have any feedback or thoughts you'd like to share, 130 00:09:09,000 --> 00:09:11,800 Speaker 1: you can always write to us at this Day at 131 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: I heart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for 132 00:09:15,840 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: producing the show, and thank you for listening. I'll see 133 00:09:19,080 --> 00:09:22,720 Speaker 1: you back here again tomorrow for another day in History class. 134 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:34,640 Speaker 1: For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit the iHeart 135 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,200 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 136 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:37,840 Speaker 1: favorite shows.