Once again I haven’t had time for much in the way of original research and writing. Instead, I’d like to share this entertaining excerpt from A Brief History of Motion by Tom Standage that I came across while researching the culture of the Brass Era of motor cars.
It presents accounts of motor mania, reckless driving, and the backlash and new regulations they occasioned as motor cars became widely available for the first time in the 1890s and early 1900s. We’ve already seen that the heroes of The Lightning Conductor can expect mechanical mishaps along the way, but will we also see them mowing down children and chickens with an “inextinguishable thirst for speed”, or facing an angry mob threatening to set fire to their vehicle, as Standage’s passage describes? Perhaps not, but I’d be surprised if driver error didn’t account for its fair share of motor misadventures.
🐸 🏎☁️ Poop!Poop!
Cool article. I have such fond memories of my Dad reading about Mr. Toad when I was a kid. Poop, poop indeed!