On this day in…
1885
139 years ago
The first gasoline pump was invented and sold by Sylvanus Bowser in Fort Wayne, Indiana Read more…
1896
128 years ago
The first race held on a track in the U Read more…
1903
121 years ago
The Packard Motor Car Company Board of Directors approved a plan to relocate from Warren, Ohio to Detroit, Michigan, US Read more…
1916
108 years ago
Barney Oldfield set a closed-circuit speed record of 112 Read more…
1926
98 years ago
Louis Charavel ‘Sabipa’ in a Bugatti T39A won the Italian Grand Prix run over 60 laps of the 10 km circuit at Monza Read more…
1928
96 years ago
Figures released showed that an average of three people a day died on London’s roads from April to June in this year Read more…
1930
94 years ago
Cross-country trips were no longer considered big news in 1930, but Charles Creighton and James Hargis’ unique journey managed to make headlines Read more…
1942
82 years ago
RAF Captain F W Hartman, a partner of Lendrum & Hartman, sole concessionaires for Buicks in Great Britain, was killed in combat Read more…
1948
76 years ago
Curtis Turner bagged the doubleheader at North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Carolina, US Turner won the opener from the pole Read more…
1948
76 years ago
Ferrari made its Grand Prix debut finishing third at the Italian Grand Prix in Turin behind an Alfa Romeo and a Maserati Read more…
1953
71 years ago
F W Wilcox competed without success in the Brighton (England) Speed Trial in the Swansean Spitfire Special powered by a 27-litre Rolls Royce Merlin engine, the largest car to ever appear at the venue Read more…
1954
70 years ago
Juan Manuel Fangio won the Italian Grand Prix for Mercedes, in a race that lasted nearly 3 hours, from the Ferrari trio of Mike Hawthorn, Umberto Maglioli and Frolian Gonzalez Read more…
1955
69 years ago
In his fourth start since returning from injuries suffered at Charlotte in May, Herb Thomas drove to victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington, South Carolina, US Read more…
1956
68 years ago
Jean Herbert driving the Renault Etoile Filante (Shooting Star) at the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah, US set a land speed record for turbine-powered cars of 195 mph Read more…
1956
68 years ago
Curtis Turner edged teammate Joe Weatherly for a Convertible Series victory in the first NASCAR race held at McCormick Field, currently the home of the Asheville (North Carolina, US) Tourists minor-league baseball team Read more…
1957
67 years ago
The New York Times writer Gilbert Millstein gave a rave review to “On the Road,” the second novel (hardly anyone had read the first) by a 35-year-old Columbia dropout named Jack Kerouac Read more…
1960
64 years ago
Mechanics Paul McDuffe and Charles Sweatland along with race official Joe Taylor were killed when two cars crashed into the pit area during a NASCAR race in Darlington, South Carolina, US Read more…
1962
62 years ago
Aircraft mechanic Joe Dudek brought his 17-foot-long, 667 Read more…
1970
54 years ago
Jochen Rindt (28) lost his life in an accident during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza Read more…
1971
53 years ago
At the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, only 0 Read more…
1976
48 years ago
James Hunt used a weekend off in his successful title campaign to race in the Formula Atlantic series in Canada at Trois Rivieres Read more…
1977
47 years ago
Daimler-Benz AG executive Hans-Martin Schleyer was kidnapped by the so-called Baader-Meinhof terrorists Read more…
1980
44 years ago
The St Read more…
1991
33 years ago
Lee Iococca announced he would retire as Chairman of the Chrysler Corporation at the end of the year Read more…
1993
31 years ago
Mark Martin racked up his fourth straight victory with a win in the rain-delayed Mountain Dew Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, South Carolina (US) Read more…
2004
20 years ago
Elliott Sadler won the inaugural Pop Secret 500 at California Speedway (US) Read more…
2006
18 years ago
Powered by a 3-litre 500 hp turbocharged liquid-cooled V-4 that was built from the ground up specifically for taking the land speed record, the BUB Seven became the first two-wheeled streamliner to break 350 mph Read more…
2008
16 years ago
A road in Lancaster, California was paved with grooves, at the request of Honda’s Santa Monica advertising agency, so that cars passing over them would hear a rendition of Rossini’s ‘William Tell Overture’ Read more…
2017
7 years ago
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Scotland plans to phase out new petrol and diesel cars by 2032, eight years earlier than under proposals set out by the London government Read more…
