Today in Technology History

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February 12

Today, a story about testing the limits of human and machine endurance in the early days of the automobile. Exactly 95 years ago, on February 12, 1908, an astonishing automobile race began, as six cars embarked on the first leg of a race from New York City to Paris.

The race was a promotional event sponsored by two newspapers. The planned route included a trip across North America and over the Bering Strait to Siberia. Three of the six teams came from France, and one came from each of Italy, Germany and the U.S.

Such a race would be remarkable if it were held today. But this race was held when cars were still relatively new -- and when roads were unpaved, untended and uncertain. No one -- no one! -- had ever driven across the North American continent in a car in wintertime, and that snowy winter the trip across the U.S. took 41 days. When it became obvious that Alaska's roads were impassable, the cars were taken to Japan and then Siberia, where the race resumed.

For much of the route, the drivers raced through places where the inhabitants had never seen an automobile. There were countless breakdowns and adventures along the way.

The conclusion of the race was strange and dramatic: the German car made it to Paris four days before the American car, but the Germans technically lost because they skipped part of the race. The American car, a 1907 Flyer from the Thomas Motor Company, was judged the winner. In 170 days, it had driven over 13,000 miles.

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