1854 – David Dunbar Buick Is Born in Arbroath
Born in Arbroath, Scotland on September 17, 1854, David Dunbar Buick emigrated to Detroit as a child and would later lend his name to one of America’s earliest automobile marques. Buick’s early career was marked by mechanical inventiveness that led to the founding of the Buick Motor Company; his name became synonymous with the marque that grew into a major part of General Motors. Though Buick himself left the company relatively early, the Buick name endured as a brand known for engineering and refinement. That birthdate marks the beginning of the personal story behind a company that shaped the U.S. auto industry.
1871 – Frederick Patterson, Automotive Pioneer, Is Born
On September 17, 1871, Frederick Douglass Patterson was born in Greenfield, Ohio, into the family that would build one of the few Black-owned automobile firms in early American motoring. As son of Charles R. Patterson, Frederick later took charge of C.R. Patterson & Sons and oversaw the creation of the Patterson-Greenfield automobile—an effort that moved a carriage-maker into the difficult new world of motor vehicles. Patterson’s stewardship of the company during that transitional era linked traditional coachbuilding skills with early automobile manufacture, and his work stands as a concrete example of minority entrepreneurship in the formative years of American car-making.
1909 – Ed Cole, Future GM Engineer and Executive, Is Born
Edward N. “Ed” Cole was born in Marne, Michigan on September 17, 1909, the future engineer whose leadership at General Motors would touch landmark programs from the 1949 Cadillac V8 to the Chevrolet small‑block and the controversial Corvair and Vega projects. Rising through GM’s engineering ranks, Cole combined technical skill with program management that shaped postwar American engines and compact-car initiatives. His name is tied to the small‑block V8 in particular, a design that became central to American performance and everyday motoring; the course of his career places him among the most influential GM engineers of the mid‑20th century.
1920 – Owners Meet in a Hupmobile Showroom to Form the APFA
On September 17, 1920, a group of professional team owners gathered inside Ralph Hay’s Hupmobile automobile showroom in Canton, Ohio, and agreed to form the American Professional Football Association. The meeting selected Jim Thorpe as APFA president and set minutes that survive at the Pro Football Hall of Fame; the association would be renamed the National Football League in 1922. It is a distinctive moment where an auto showroom—the commercial crossroads of transportation and community—served as the birthplace for what became America’s premier professional football organization, linking early automotive commerce with the organization of national sport leagues.
1922 – Kansas City Speedway’s First 300‑Mile Race: Triumph and Tragedy
The Kansas City Speedway opened with the First International 300‑Mile Speed Classic on September 17, 1922, a day of both speed and sorrow. Tommy Milton took victory in the 300‑mile race, but the event was marred when Roscoe Sarles suffered a crash that left him fatally burned and ultimately led to his death. Contemporary newspapers, the official program and later race histories all record the grand opening and its grim outcome, underscoring how early board‑track and speedway events combined high performance with peril. The inaugural meeting left a clear record: a celebrated win and a tragic reminder of racing’s dangers in the era.
