Humans have imagined driving vehicles that move under their own power for thousands of years. In Greek mythology the god of blacksmiths and inventions Hephaestus built three-wheeled vehicles, which moved under their own power. An unproven story tells that a Catholic priest named Father Ferdinand Verbiest built a steam-powered vehicle for the Chinese Emporer Chien Lung in about 1678.

The Dutch, as early as 1600 were experimenting with wind-powered, sail-mounted carriages, which were reported to move as fast as twenty miles per hour, as long as the breeze kept blowing. However, the first recorded self-contained and powered automobile was designed by the French army-officer and engineer Nicholas Joseph Cugnot and was constructed by M. Brezin in 1769. They then built a second model in 1770, which weighed 8000 pounds and had a top speed of two miles per hour.

Although much experimentation had been done for over a hundred years it was not until late in the 19th century that automobile production began in earnest. Many individuals in Europe and the United States were experimenting with different kinds of cars. There were steam-powered, wind-powered, electric and eventually petrol. It was the bicycle manufacturing Duryea brothers who built the first successful, internal-combustion car around 1892. Most cars at that time were large, cumbersome and not very efficient.

In the last decade of the 19th century the state of Michigan competed with Indiana and other areas of the country as the leader in automobile production. Most car builders at that time worked out of their own garage and with limited resources. Even then there was heavy competition between inventors, which lead to continuous refinements and a constantly evolving and improving product. In the following decades Michigan surpassed all others in the development and production of automobiles. Much of the credit for this success must go to Henry Ford, and his efficient utilization of the assembly line and his “people’s car,” the famous Model T.

In the past hundred and ten years there have been over 500 auto manufacturers in Michigan. The majority of these existed for a brief period of time in the first half of the twentieth century. Many never even produced a single production vehicle, while others developed into the behemoth, multinational conglomerates that currently dominate the world of auto manufacturing.

The Making of Modern Michigan has provided a unique opportunity to make widely available important documents relating to Michigan history.This Institute for Museum and Library Services funded project will provide a common digital access point for students, teachers, and free-choice learners throughout the state and beyond. The National Automotive History collection, held by the Detroit Public Library, is the nation's premier public automotive archive, containing over 600,000 processed items. The importance of these documents to state history cannot be overstated, and the inclusion of documents from this collection in the The Making of Modern Michigan will prove to be an invaluable digital resource. A project standards statement is coming soon. For more information, please visit the Regional Digitization Center at Wayne State University.