A Brief History of Motion summary

By the mid-fourth century BC, the chariot was obsolete as a military vehicle. But in the centuries to come it would continue to be a fixture of competitive games in Rome. Successful chariot racers were the superstar athletes of the day, as well as some of the richest men around.

As for the evolution of the wheel, Roman wagons and two-wheeled carts were helping to carry goods throughout the expansive Roman region. This led to the creation of Roman roads and some of the first standardized rules of the road, as well as city planning that focused on creating a traffic system. In the city of Pompeii, a grid-like system of one-way streets was created that isn’t too different from Manhattan. 

Ah, city life. If you’ve ever been a resident of a major metropolis, you know that being part of a bustling hub full of culture and entertainment comes with a price. And if you were walking around New York or London in 1890, one of the biggest costs was horse manure. In London alone, there were 300,000 horses trotting along, and each one left behind around 22 pounds of manure, along with a quart of urine, every day.

People complained of the noise, the terrible smell, the sheer difficulty in crossing the street. And on rainy days, those streets could become a literal cesspool of filth that would get splashed across sidewalks, doorways, and people alike. The consensus was clear: something had to change. 

One year after the Paris-Rouen race, the follow-up competition was more ambitious in every possible way. The race covered 730 miles, from Paris to Bordeaux. And this time a car, powered by a cutting-edge Daimler Phoenix engine, reached an average speed of 15 mph. It arrived in Bordeaux a full eleven hours before the second car, a Peugeot. Unfortunately, the Daimler had only two seats, rather than the required four, and was disqualified. But the writing was on the wall, petrol engines were the winner.

Thanks in part to the excitement over these races – the press coverage was captivating readers on both sides of the Atlantic – interest in automobiles was gaining momentum. But the reception to actual cars on public roads would be mixed at best.

Between 1900 and 1920, the number of cars on the road in the US had increased a thousand times over, from 8,000 cars on the road, to 8 million. In Europe, the numbers were equally staggering. But by this time, attitudes about cars were changing once again, and the Model T was already considered passé.

General Motors, in particular, was revolutionizing the automotive game. GM had a collection of brand names under its umbrella, and each brand represented a step up the economic ladder. Plus, in 1919, GM introduced a payment plan option, which gave people the chance to become drivers even if they couldn’t afford the full price. GM customers could also trade in their old car as a way to help take the next step up the ladder. 

Millions more cars on the road meant more accidents. It took some time before things like standardized signage, traffic lights, and speed limits would be set. Many of these rules of the road would start in the US and make their way over to Europe. In fact, many can be traced back to Los Angeles. It may sound unlikely, but California weather was particularly friendly to drivers and the state has always had a high number of cars on the road.

Still, leading up to the 1930s, there was some debate about whether the roads were for people, or for cars. Car lobbyists were blaming jaywalkers for accidents, while pedestrians were blaming cars. In 1934, the law was decided: pedestrians had to cross in designated areas. Crosswalks. Otherwise, cars had the right of way.

Believe it or not, electric cars have been around for over 100 years. While they tend to have a limited range before the battery needs to be recharged or swapped out, electric cars have always been recognized as well-suited for short trips within a city.

In the 1910s, the Electric Vehicle Company had a viable plan for establishing a fleet of electric cars, known as the Electrobat, that would operate like taxis around New York City. They even had an efficient battery-swapping operation to keep their cars moving. But a fraudulent loan scandal sank the company just as it was gaining traction.

There is an inescapable irony about the automobile. Cars were intended to alleviate the noise and pollution caused by horses. But in the long run they’ve made our streets noisier than ever, and the harmful compounds in vehicle exhaust can cause cancer and respiratory diseases. Then there’s the fact that cars, trucks, and buses are responsible for one-fifth of the global CO2 emissions that contribute to climate change.

There’s also no denying that our reliance on gasoline has had a long-term effect in shaping our geopolitical structures, which also seem unsustainable at this time. In another twist, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused much of the world to reevaluate the way we do things, which includes questioning the value we’ve placed in car ownership. 

Another fanciful idea suggested in the Futurama exhibit back in 1939 was automated vehicles. In the future, cars would drive themselves. Norman Bel Geddes envisioned roads with sensors that would guide the cars along in peaceful harmony. These days, it's the cars that have the sensors, but the general idea is remarkably the same.

A lot of time, effort, and money are being spent these days on trying to develop autonomous vehicle (AV) technology, but its future remains uncertain. Instead, there is a smartphone-based technology that appears the more likely option for future transportation.