===Also a good question...what might have been the place we are now had Ford "won" the choice in fuels? Many folks are not aware that the Model T and the Model A (Yes, I have thought of the T and A joke already, and the link to modern advertising...)was designed to run on either alcohol or gasoline, and that Rockefeller put a lot of money into the Prohibition movement, which outlawed the competing fuel. Gasoline was originally a waste product from the production of Kerosene, and was regularly dumped into rivers and such until it was realised it could be a fuel for the Internal Combustion Engine.
I would guess not, for two reasons. First, the car replaced the horse in the American popular imagination. Having one makes us cool, successful, and a little bit cowboy. Bicycles don't fill that space for us. Second, the car covers huge distances with almost no physical effort. Bicycles can travel only short distances, with much greater effort.
Having never owned a car, I have reached a rather serious understanding of these facts. I also know (because I do it every day) that life without a car is possible, and even fun. So here's to that. :-)
If the car wasn't the center of American life, we wouldn't have designed our cities so that people have 45 minute commutes.
That said, I don't think the car's success had anything to do with Ford -- it was a huge niche someone was going to fill, and at less than one horsepower, the bike doesn't do it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
novapsyche![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-30 02:04 pm (UTC)===Also a good question...what might have been the place we are now had Ford "won" the choice in fuels? Many folks are not aware that the Model T and the Model A (Yes, I have thought of the T and A joke already, and the link to modern advertising...)was designed to run on either alcohol or gasoline, and that Rockefeller put a lot of money into the Prohibition movement, which outlawed the competing fuel. Gasoline was originally a waste product from the production of Kerosene, and was regularly dumped into rivers and such until it was realised it could be a fuel for the Internal Combustion Engine.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-30 03:48 pm (UTC)Having never owned a car, I have reached a rather serious understanding of these facts. I also know (because I do it every day) that life without a car is possible, and even fun. So here's to that. :-)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-30 04:28 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-06-30 05:47 pm (UTC)That said, I don't think the car's success had anything to do with Ford -- it was a huge niche someone was going to fill, and at less than one horsepower, the bike doesn't do it.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-01 09:36 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-07-01 09:38 am (UTC)