The Automobile and Interstate Highways
The invention and development of the automobile created a revolution in transportation
in the United States during the twentieth century. No facet of American life has been untouched
by this invention; the automobile, together with the airplane, has changed the
way we travel within and between cities. Only four automobiles were produced in the
year 1895. By 1901, there were 8000 registered vehicles, and by 1910 over 450,000 cars
and trucks. Between 1900 and 1910, 50,000 miles of surfaced roads were constructed, but
major highway-building programs did not begin in earnest until the late 1920s. By 1920,
more people traveled by private automobile than by rail transportation. By 1930, 23 million
passenger cars and 3 million trucks were registered. In 1956, Congress authorized a
42,500-mile interstate highway network. Today, that network is virtually complete.