June 22 – Worldwide VW Beetle Day

Posted on June 22, 2018

When I was a little kid, the streets were filled with big cars. Big Chevys, big station wagons, big Studebakers and Oldsmobiles.

And then, somewhere in the 1960s, these little guys began to appear:

(Actually, VW Beetles, often called "bugs," were sold in the U.S. from 1950 on - before I was born, even - but I didn't see them until a boom of popularity brought them to EVERYONE's attention. Exactly when I first noticed them, I'm not sure - but definitely before 1968s The Love Bug!)

Unfortunately, the 1930-something beginnings of this German car was connected to Hitler, who wanted a new, inexpensive car "for the people" (Volkswagen means "People's Car"). But shrugging off that bit of taint, it is a great idea to produce cars that people can actually afford, and the Volkswagen Beetles have been so popular for so long partly because they are almost indestructible and endlessly customizable.

VW Beetle convertibles have been super popular:

Bugs were converted into dune buggies.

VWs became rally race favorites.

Such a small car was relatively easy to paint in a flower-power hippie-dippie way!

Also on this date:

Anniversary of the discovery of Pluto's moon 

Anniversary of the patenting of a pin-making machine

Schoolteachers' Day in El Salvador

Anniversary of the lowering the voting age in the U.S.

Explorer George Vancouver's birthday

Global Smurfs Day

Anniversary of a river catching fire

HVAC Technicians Day

Take Your Dog to Work Day

(First Friday after Father's Day U.S.A.)

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• June holidays

• June birthdays

• Historical anniversaries in June

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• July holidays
• July birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in July
  
  

June 4, 2010

Henry Ford's First Test Drive – 1896

One this day in 1896, Henry Ford put the finishing touches on his first vehicle.

This self-propelled vehicle ran on a gasoline-powered engine. 

Sitting on four bicycle tires, it didn't look much like modern automobiles, but of course it was their direct ancestor.

Ford called this first vehicle a quadricycle. It was also called a horseless carriage and a gasoline buggy.

On that day in 1896, Ford started up his quadricycle and drove it around the streets of Detroit, Michigan. Naturally, it attracted stares and questions from onlookers. I wonder if it seemed very low to the ground next to the people on horseback and horse-drawn carriages?

The quadricycle only had two gears—and no reverse! It reached speeds of 20 miles per hour.

Later in 1896, Ford sold this first quadricycle for $200. He built two more in the next three years, and of course went on to make better and better cars, including his famous Model T (pictured here, right). Eventually, he bought back his first quadricycle for $65. It is now on display in the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
Design a vehicle or transport system of the future.

Think about the stuff you've seen in science fiction movies. Are those vehicles possible? Practical? Desirable?

Do you have any completely original ideas?

Remember, most invention is really REinvention.

Take some vehicle that works and re-design it so that it's better: cheaper, faster, smaller, larger, “greener” (by which I mean better for the environment), or ...

Find Out More

• Read a short bio of Henry Ford. Notice, at the bottom of the page is a slideshow and puzzles.

• Do a jigsaw puzzle of Ford's later vehicle, a Model A.

• Learn about Henry Ford's assembly line. Then try out assembly-line principles with this yummy activity.