October 8, 1869 – Frank Duryea is born
On this day in 1869 in a little town called Wyoming, Illinois a mother gave birth to a son and he was named James Frank Duryea. James, who would go by Frank in his later years, along with his brother Charles, introduced America to the automobile. Charles was the engineer of the two, Frank being the mechanic. They both researched internal combustion engines and Charles designed a vehicle. They secured a space in a machine shop in Springfield, Mass., from a $1,000 investment provided by Erwin Markham. This money also paid for a variety of parts, a horse buggy and Frank’s $3 a day salary. Charles left Frank with the design for the automobile and headed to Illinois in pursuit of other professional goals. Frank spent 10 hours a day bringing the drawing to life. He worked out issues with the ign...
