On January 12 1904, Henry Ford sets the new land speed record of the time with a speed of 91.37 mph. Ford, using a prototype model of one of his later vehicles, set the record on Michigan's Lake Saint Claire, when it was frozen over in the winter. Ford called his prototype automobile the "999" and would later revise its schematics into the world renowned Model T. Ford had created the Ford Motor Company the year before in 1903. Ford had tested other cars before the 999, but this one was the fastest one he had tested at that time. Ford continued testing cars after this and took notes as to how the cars should function and operate in order to create a cheap automotive that would run well and be available to everyone. This dream would come to light in 1908 with the invention of the Model T, the worlds first commercial car. Even after the Model T, Ford's company would continue to make different models of cars even up to today, with Ford's company still existing and still creating cars and trucks for the general public.
This even was significant back in this time for many reasons. At this point in history, cars were only available for the rich, and even those cars were expensive and did not entirely run correctly. Ford wanted to change this and make an affordable automobile to be used by everyone that didn't break down all the time. Not only that, but others were also expanding on the new automotive frontier, and may have been wondering what to do with these new vehicles, this speed record may have opened peoples eyes to the prospect of car racing. The more practical use of cars at this time however, was to get to places faster than ever before. Back then, the only way to get to locations was either by walking or by horseback or train. But a train could only go where there was a rail, and a horse didn't go very fast, that and horses could fall ill or get hurt while en route to their destination. What people really wanted and needed was something that could be easily fixed, could go anywhere, and was fast, and that's exactly what Ford made with his invention.
Today, this event is significant in the way that it paved the way for other events to happen. When Ford did this, he was testing the final stages of his new automobile, and this would change the world forever. Look outside right now, surely you can see at least one road, or highway, or parking lot, all for what? Cars, automobiles. Sure, they have gone through some big changes over the years, but the basic concept remains the same. Four wheels, steering wheel, and an engine. Our world practically revolves around cars today, if you were to remove your car from your life, even just for a day, life would be a lot harder wouldn't it? Even the speed record that was set during the actual event was broken in the span of a month, and today, we have much higher speed records that make this one seem like a walk in the park. But none of those records would be broken or exist if the car wasn't invented in the first place. ayy lmao
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