8 Fun Facts about Car History That You Don’t Know
1. “Traffic Lights” Were Born 18 Years before Cars
The world's first car was born in 1886, but the signal lights that can be used to sort out traffic, commonly known as "traffic lights", came out in London in 1868, a full 18 years earlier than cars. It is almost completely different from our current signal lights. This signal light is mounted on a 6.6-meter-high iron pillar and consists of red and green rotating square glass lights. Changing the colors requires a dedicated person to hold a long pole to operate, but because the signal light uses gas When making fuel, an accidental explosion occurred, resulting in the death of the operator, so this short-lived signal light only worked for 23 days before dying.
2. The First Country to Use License Plates and Driving Licenses Was France
Although the Germans invented the car, France was the first country to use car license plates and driver's licenses. In 1893, the Paris police clearly stipulated: "All cars must have a metal license plate on the left side of the body, with the owner's name printed on it." Name, address and registration number, and the number must also be written on the glass of the taillight.”
Another provision in the regulations is that drivers must pass a test and obtain a driver's license before they are qualified to drive. The test content includes driving skills, vehicle construction principles，and repair skills. People under the age of 21 are not allowed to obtain a driver's license. The police bureau also has the right to cancel the driver's license based on the situation.
3. Russia Has Almost No Highways
A bit surprising, isn't it? In the country with the largest land area in the world, there are almost no expressways. As of 2012, there was only one real expressway in St. Petersburg in the entire territory of Russia. The total distance was only 46 kilometers. The toll ranged from 10 to 100 rubles depending on the vehicle type.
Take a closer look at the territory of Russia. Most of the areas are concentrated in the uninhabited land of Siberia. It really makes no sense to build highways there. Moreover, they are covered with ice and snow all year round, and the maintenance cost of highways is too high. Secondly, although Russia is large, it has a very small population, and the demand for highways is obviously much smaller. The economy is certainly an issue that cannot be ignored. Especially since the disintegration of the former Soviet Union, Russia has invested its limited funds in places where it is more needed, and road construction has become less urgent.
4. Saudi Arabia Actually Doesn’t Allow Women to Drive
In 1991, the Ministry of Interior of Saudi Arabia cited religious decrees to prohibit women from driving. The reason they gave was even more bizarre: it was to prevent women from being sexually assaulted. They believed that women in other countries such as Europe and the United States could drive freely because they did not care about being sexually assaulted. Over the years, Saudi women have protested and organized collective driving to defend their rights many times, but all ended in failure.
5. China’s Highway Mileage Ranks First in the World
By the end of 2022, China’s total highway mileage has reached 170,000 kilometers, ranking first in the world. The United States, which ranks second, has a total mileage of approximately 110,000 kilometers. It only took 26 years for China to go from zero to number one in the world.
6. The First Car Equipped with 8AT Was Lexus LS460
When you mention the 8AT gearbox, what brand do you think of first? BMW or Audi? These two manufacturers are indeed the most widely equipped with 8AT, but when it comes to the first manufacturer to use 8AT, it is actually Lexus, and the specific model is the 2007 LS460.
As the flagship model of Lexus, the 8AT equipped on the LS460 that year was code-named AA80E. It was jointly developed by Aisin and Toyota and had a shifting time of only 350 milliseconds. It's admirable that Toyota could do this nearly 17 years ago.
7. “Mercedes” Is an Austrian Girl’s Name
The names of many major overseas manufacturers come from the names of their founders, but the Mercedes in "Mercedes-Benz" has nothing to do with the founders.
At that time, Karl Benz founded Mercedes-Benz, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach founded Daimler. More than 100 years ago, an Austro-Hungarian businessman named Emil Tellinek started from Daimler. Tom's company purchased a large number of parts to assemble the racing car. He named the car after his 10-year-old daughter, Mercedes. In subsequent competitions, this car won him many championships, The name "Mercedes" was also widely circulated.
Inspired by this, Daimler Automobile Company officially adopted "Mercedes" as its product name the next year. In 1926, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz officially merged and the merged name was Mercedes-Benz.
8. One out of Every Three Sold Cars Is Made in China
In 2023, my country's automobile production and sales will total 30.161 million units and 30.094 million units respectively, with automobile production and sales hitting a new high. In 2009, China's automobile production and sales exceeded the 10 million mark for the first time and became the world's largest automobile production and sales country. Since then, my country's total automobile production and sales have ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years.