1865 – Britain Enacts the “Red Flag Act”
Britain’s Locomotives Act of 1865, better known as the “Red Flag Act,” became law on this day, imposing some of the earliest—and most restrictive—rules on self-propelled road vehicles. The law limited their speed to 4 mph in the countryside and 2 mph in towns, required a crew of three, and ordered one person to walk at least 60 yards ahead carrying a red flag to warn other road users. Intended largely for heavy steam-powered road locomotives, the restrictions also hindered early automobile development in Britain until they were relaxed decades later.
1866 – Prince Edward Island Newspaper Reports an Early Steam Carriage
The Charlottetown Examiner published an account on this day in 1866 describing an unusual steam-powered carriage demonstrated by Reverend Georges-Antoine Belcourt at Rustico, Prince Edward Island, during a gathering held on June 24. Belcourt’s one-seat vehicle, reportedly based on a Ware steam carriage imported from the United States, used a two-cylinder steam engine and chain drive. It is often described as the first automobile on Prince Edward Island and one of the earliest self-propelled road vehicles in what would become Canada, although later retellings frequently confuse both the demonstration and publication dates.
1915 – Eddie Rickenbacker Wins the Inaugural Omaha Speedway Race
Eddie Rickenbacker won the first major automobile race held at the new Omaha Speedway on this day in 1915, completing 300 miles in a Maxwell at an average speed of slightly more than 91 mph. The steeply banked, 1.25-mile wooden oval near Omaha required 240 laps and attracted approximately 30,000 spectators, although the field was smaller than expected after several cars were damaged at races held shortly beforehand. Rickenbacker later became America’s highest-scoring World War I flying ace, but before entering military service he was already one of the country’s most accomplished and fearless racing drivers.
1933 – Fritz Todt Is Appointed Inspector General for German Roadways
German engineer and Nazi Party official Fritz Todt was appointed Inspector General for German Roadways on this day in 1933, placing him in charge of the regime’s rapidly expanding Reichsautobahn program. Although Germany’s controlled-access highway plans predated Adolf Hitler’s government, Todt oversaw their large-scale development and became one of the most powerful engineers in Nazi Germany. The highway system was promoted as a symbol of modernization and employment, but its construction became increasingly connected to the dictatorship’s propaganda, militarization and use of compulsory labor.
2013 – BMW Announces the End of M3 Coupe Production
BMW announced the end of production for the fourth-generation M3 Coupe on this day in 2013, closing the final chapter for a two-door model carrying the M3 name. More than 40,000 E92 M3 Coupes had been built with a high-revving 4.0-liter V8, an engine that distinguished the generation from the six-cylinder M3s that came before and after it. BMW continued producing the related M3 Convertible until September, while the next two-door performance model adopted the new M4 name, leaving the M3 designation exclusively associated with the sedan.
