On this segment of The Henry Ford's Innovation Nation, Mo Rocca meets with Curator of Transportation Matt Anderson to learn more about the oldest surviving American automobile.
In the 1860s, mechanic Sylvester Roper began experimenting with stem-powered horseless carriages, and by 1865, he had a working prototype. Steam-powered locomotives and ships were familiar sights to Americans in the 1860s, but Roper's horseless carriage was more of a spectacle than a mode of transportation. They weren’t considered practical vehicles but rather became popular attractions at circuses and fairs.
Roper's steam-powered carriage was ahead of it's time; Karl Benz wouldn't begin experimenting with gasoline-powered vehicles for another 20 years. And while Roper's innovation was revolutionary in an age when steam power was king, he never put it into commercial production, which is why his name is lost in comparison to the likes of Henry Ford, Karl Benz, and Gottlieb Daimler.
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