The Slow and the Furious

straightforward question when was the automobile invented? But like so many of our stories, it's a little more complicated than that. Some could point back as far as the fifteenth century, when Leonardo da Vinci was creating schematics for fantastastical transportation machines. Most would credit Carl Friedrich Benz of Mercedes Benz, but the invention of the gas powered automobile Patten did in eighteen eighty five. This three wheeled unit changed the world

for better or worse, depending on your view. Soon further patents followed, and by the early nineteen hundreds, Americans could see automobiles in their towns and cities, albeit somewhat rarely. They mostly belonged to the rich. But luckily we do have an exact date for the first American road trip.

In nineteen oh three, no one was sure what an automobile could do, and in a time when most folks were still getting around with horse drawn wagons and buggies, the idea that there was nothing pulling their new vehicle must have been hard to wrap your head around. It started with a bet. Doctor Horatio Nelson Jackson of Vermont was on vacation with his wife Bertha in San Francisco. One night, they were having drinks and the conversation turned

to the automobile. Jackson was an automobile enthusiast and was quick to defend his beloved machine. He accepted a bet for fifty dollars that he could drive a car across the United States from San Francisco to New York City in less than ninety days. Jackson could choose whatever car he wanted to get the job done. But of course, there were a few hiccups along the way. You see, the roads that Jackson would travel along the way were barely roads at all. They were terrible. They were full

of potholes and ruts from decades of wagon wheels. He also didn't own any useful maps and didn't have a car. They'd come to San Francisco via a series of trains, oh and Jackson couldn't drive now. Wisely, Jackson asked for help and brought Sewell K. Crocker into his scheme. Crocker was a driver and a mechanic, and the two purchased a nineteen oh three Winton, a two cylinder and twenty

horsepower touring car that they named the Vermont. The pair loaded up the car with everything they might need, sleeping bags, blankets, rubber suits and coats, an axe, a shovel, and other tools, a Kodak camera and a telescope, a rifle, a shot gun, parts for the car. At as much gasoline as they could carry, it only took fifteen miles for them to blow a tire, forcing them to use the only spare

that they brought. When other tires blew out, they had to curl rope around the wheels so they could keep going. Since there weren't widespread mechanic shops yet, they often had to walk a long way to find gas or replace busted parts. They were further delayed when they asked a woman north of Sacramento for directions, and she sent them one hundred and eight miles out of their way so that her family could see an automobile for the first time.

In Idaho, they picked up an essential traveling companion, a bulldog named Bud, who got fitted with his own little pair of goggles to keep the dust out of his eyes. This was around the time that the press caught wind of their journey, and the trio became celebrities. Soon large crowds were waiting for them at nearly every stop. As Jackson, Crocker, and Bud began making their way through the eastern half

of the country, they were having an easier time. More of the roads were paved, especially in majors cities where they had previously managed seventy one miles a day. Once they reached the paved streets, they covered some two hundred and fifty miles. Admittedly, they did still have mishaps. They often got lost and had to replace parts, equipment, and gas.

For this, they contacted the Winton Company, which was eager to provide They wanted to show that their machines could do all of this, and soon other car manufacturers had the same idea. Packard and Oldsmobile sent out their own drivers from the West Coast. So now not only was Jackson trying to beat the clock, but he had two other drivers to worry about. Luckily, Jackson had a head start, and their increased speed meant that they plowed through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana,

and Ohio. They made a celebratory stop in Chicago before pressing on, finally reaching New York State. Their final moment of calamity was just outside of Buffalo, where they had their first and only accident. Luckily, the car was quickly repaired, and Jackson, Crocker, and Bud rolled into New York City on July twenty sixth of nineteen oh three, d three days after making the bet. The trio never collected the fifty dollars, and really it wouldn't have covered the costs.

Jackson spent about eight thousand of his own money to make the journey about two hundred and sixty thousand dollars today. Crocker stayed in New York City after the journey, while Bud and Jackson made their way back to Vermont Jackson later donated his car to the Smithsonian, where it's on permanent display. Oh And Jackson apparently had one final automobile related mishap later in life. It was a speeding ticket earned while cruising through Burlington, Vermont. The legal limit that

he violated six miles per hour. Growing up, most of us learn the phrase all that glitters isn't gold, meaning that what we see on the surface doesn't reflect what's underneath. This was never truer than during America's Gilded Age. Mark Twain certainly captured the spirit of the times when he called it gold and glittering and corrupt, and no one

lived out those principles better than the Vanderbilt family. The Vanderbilts were a real life rags to riches story, but no matter how wealthy they were, the old money New York families wouldn't accept them. There were certain rules the wealthy had to abide by it to be considered a part of society. These involved lineages, wealth, and a truly spectacular degree of snobbishness. These rules were created by Caroline

Astor and her henchman, Ward McAllister. She ruled over New York society with an iron fist deciding who was in and who was out. Apparently, there were only four hundred suitable families in New York City, and the Vanderbilts weren't among them, at least not yet. By the mid eighteen hundreds, a new member of the family emerged that would take on Caroline Astor and the four hundred with the same single minded focus and discipline that she dedicated to every

other aspect of her life. Life. Born Alva Erskine Smith, she was intelligent, with refined tastes, but no money. Her formerly prosperous family had lost their money in the years following the Civil War, and she needed to marry well. She found her perfect targets in William Kissom Vanderbilt, a party boy, and Alva was a force of nature, and she planned to use her cunning, her self assuredness, and

the Vanderbilt fortune to break into Missus Astor's society. And the best way to do that was to throw a ball. Alva had recently completed her first manner at six hundred and sixty fifth Avenue, called the Petit Chateau, and planned to fill it in the most spectacular way possible. She struck up a friendship with Ward McAllister and used his connections to drum up interest in her party among the old crowd. It was the spring of eighteen eighty three

and Lent was coming to an end. Traditionally, the start of Lent signaled the end of the New York social season, but Alva planned to give her fancy dress ball after Easter, which would set her apart from all other society hostesses. She dropped rumors to the press and to her friends, and soon the city was a buzz with gossip and whispers about the Vanderbilt Ball. By the time Alva sent out her invitations, wealthy men and women were frothing at

the mouth to get into the Petit Chateau. Young ladies spent the weeks leading up to the party practicing their quadrilles, fancy themed dances performed by four couples in formation, looking to show off their looks and their dowries. No one was practicing more than missus Astor's daughter, Carrie. As the daughter of the Queen of Society, Carrie fully expected to be invited and in fact, to be a lead dancer

in these quadrilles. Instead, what she got was a notification that Alva was very sorry, but Carrie couldn't come because Missus Caroline aster had never received Missus Alva Vanderbilt. By the laws of Missus Astor's own society, Alva was correct. Unless Missus Astor would acknowledge Eva Vanderbilt, Carrie couldn't attend the Party of the Century. Missus Astra evidently decided that she loved her daughter more than her rules. A calling card was duly dispatched, and Carrie Astor was allowed to

take part in the spectacle. And it really was a spectacle. Newspaper reporters and gawkers packed the sidewalks as they watched a long line of carriages deliver the lushly dressed members of mister McAllister's four hundred in the elaborate costumes, jewels and powdered wigs of the time. Missus Astor herself attended as a Venetian princess, wearing every single diamond that she owned.

Other costumes were a little more out there. Elizabeth Vanderbilt web dressed as a hornet in brown velvet and yellow satin with diamond and tenne. Missus Kate fearing Strong came as a cat, complete with a dress made of white cat tails and a hat made of taxidermied white cat Around her neck was a black velvet choker with a bell and the word Puss spelled out in glittering diamonds. Apparently that was her nickname, and Alice Vanderbilt, a rival

in the family, came dressed as an electric light. Her gown, made of red gold and white satin and brocade, was trimmed with diamonds, and the gilded torch she carried was powered by a battery. She glittered in the light, but no one held a candle to Alva. Alva was also dressed as a Venetian princess, but she outshone missus Astor in every way possible. Her yellow and white ball gown was topped with jewels, but the crowning glory wasn't her tiara, It was a rope of pearls that belonged to Catherine

the Great. The only attendees not dressed outlandishly were Alva's father in law, Billy, and his good friend some guy named Ulysses S. Grant, who were both dressed in plain old white tie. The house was a riot of flowers and lights, and the photographs truly do not do it justice. Alva converted the upstairs gymnasium into a forest filled with palm trees and orchids. She spared no expense on flowers, food, wine,

and costumes for the quadrilles. All told, the ball cost and estimated two hundred and fifty thousand dollars back then almost six million dollars today, of which sixty five thousand was spent on champagne and eleven thousand on flowers. Everyone danced until dawn, when the guests stumbled out of the house, still in their costumes and powdered wigs a little worse for wear, and for a moment it seemed like New

York had gone back in time. Really, in one night, Alva had dragged the high society, kicking and screaming, into her future. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky

in partnership with house Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can learn all about it over at the worldolore dot com. Next time, stay curious. M