AbstractsEconomics

In 1885 Gottfried Daimler perfected the four cycle internal combustion engine and a year later he used this type of engine to propel a one cylinder motorcycle. This invention of a practical motor vehicle paved the way for a new phase in transportation history until today the automobile has become an indispensable link in the chain of modern transportation. Although the automobile was used in most countries of the world by 1900, the era of the motor cehivle as a dependable and efficient means of transportation did not begin until the second decade of the 20th century. The period from 1900 to 1919 was one of experimentation, both in the building of roads suitable for motor vehicle traffic and in the manufacture of the automobile itself. Since 1920 improvements in highway surfaces and the perfection of motor vehicle equipment have made the automobile an important cog in both passenger and freight transportation of most countries. [...]