05-30-2006, 11:06 PM
Quote:That's because gasoline-driven cars were traveling so fast (45 mph!) that crashes were inflicting more damage and fatalities. Lack of seat belts and safety glass added to the carnage, of course.
Humans have this funky perception of the dangers of speed. When the first trains were made, people were afraid the human body could not stand the stress of traveling 40-50 miles per hour for lengthy times (they'd get crushed by the motive force, would they not?).
Generals thought airplanes would make for horrible observation craft because at the speeds they flew (90+ knots), the ground must zoom by in a blur!
So... When Oldsmobile made their mile a minute (That's right, 60mph) steam powered car, I wonder what people thought of that? Or the fact that gas powered combustion engines would have to wait a while longer to reach that sort of speed... Combustion powered cars were SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOW at first. Everybody was convinced that steam was the way to go. It was a steam powered car that first broke the 100mph mark. Steam powered cars are still beating gas powered cars in some events. Way back when, combustion motors were terrible. You had to stop every 10 minutes to avoid vapourlock.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4076811.stm <-- A 200+ mph steam powered batmobile.
That there in that news clipping is not your daddies steam powered car. Although I did get a kick out of one of the quotes...
" The steam car, driven by Fred Marriott, reached 127.7mph (205.5 km/h), beating four petrol-powered vehicles to pick up the Dewar Trophy rewarding the fastest vehicles on land." Yeah, that's from 1906... But everybody was starting to think steam was the way to go. And they may have been right. There has been huge advancements in both steam powered turbines and steam powered pistons.
Steam as a technology is not yet dead.
http://www.vcamm.com.au/news/_news_single.asp?ID=125
And I can't find a link, but here is somebody building a nuclear steam powered locomotive. Should that work, I wonder how long till we see nuclear steam powered trucks and busses and large transport type rigs.
Steam is still a contender.
Oh, and somebody right now, I forget who, is making a steam piston powered car that will break the sound barrier.
All alone, or in twos,
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."
The ones who really love you
Walk up and down outside the wall.
Some hand in hand
And some gathered together in bands.
The bleeding hearts and artists
Make their stand.
And when they've given you their all
Some stagger and fall, after all it's not easy
Banging your heart against some mad buggers wall.
"Isn't this where...."