The Chronology

A world without cars, although unimaginable today, was but a wink back in the evolution of times. The upright and the wise Man (as we know him today) first walked the earth 30,000 years ago and for the next 25,000 years, that was precisely what he continued to do.

The earliest reference to transport using the principles of mechanics has been made in 3500 BC, when, between the rivers of the Tigris and Euphrates the ancient Sumerian Civilization used flat structures mounted on wheels. The use of horses to pull these crude carts probably followed shortly.

Through the next 5000 years (till the mid 18th century), this remained the principle form of transport embraced by all major civilizations. Horses and oxen were used to draw chariots for fighting, coaches to transport people and wagons to move their goods.

The first mechanized mode of transportation happened in 1769, and most of the action as far as the development of the car is concerned took place only in the last two centuries. The following pages of car-history talk of the very first two eras of automobile production viz.