Saturday 26th August 1950

Ransom Eli Olds, a pioneer of the American automotive industry, after whom both the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named, died at the age of 86. He claimed to have built his first steam car as early as 1894, and his first gasoline-powered car in 1896. The modern assembly line and its basic concept is credited to Olds, who used it to build the first mass-produced automobile, the Oldsmobile Curved Dash, beginning in 1901.