Since the development of the steam engine, people were interested in creating autonomous vehicles, this manifested itself during the industrial revolution as the train. However, over time, people became interested in creating a vehicle that was more than just tracks. Early attempts were moderately successful but had little practical use. Automobiles began to truly become widespread with the invention of the electric motor which created cheaper, more powerful and safer automobiles. Yet the automobile still had many problems and was primarily in the hands of the wealthy. It was the development of the internal combustion engine and the assembly line that truly created a practical vehicle usable by all and propelled the automobile to the heart of American culture and made it one of the greatest inventions the most significant of the time. -era of industrial revolution, leading to a complete revolution in society. The first prototypes of self-propelled vehicles began in the 1700s, with the first being built by Nicholas Cugnot, weighing over 8,000 pounds and reaching a top speed of 2 miles per hour. hour (Bottorff). This large size and slow speed made it impractical as an automobile. Several other vehicle prototypes were built in this style by various inventors, but they were so heavy that they required metal rails to run, and so, over time, they evolved into trains and locomotives (Bottorff). Trains and steam power continued to expand, and interest in an autonomous vehicle that did not require railroad tracks faded until the mid-1800s, when new developments in power sources encouraged the development of the automobile. The first automobiles were powered by steam; however, it was a very poor source of energy due to...... middle of paper ......8-1969., 1954-1963 "Fuel and the Engine". Car Bibles. Np, December 15, 2013. Web. February 23, 2014. “Henry Ford and the Assembly Line.” » History of the 20th century. Np, and Web. February 23, 2014. “Henry Ford Changes the World, 1908.” Eyewitness to History. Np, and Web. February 23, 2014. “Internal combustion engine.” Information please. Np, and Web. February 23, 2014. “The world's first electric car built by a Victorian inventor in 1884.” The Telegraph. Np, April 24, 2009. Web. February 23. 2014. .