First Auto Patent Granted: Selden Sparks the Motor Age
George B. Selden secured the first U.S. patent for an automobile in 1895, a move that immediately triggered a legal battle over who truly owned the road ahead. This monopoly attempt forced early manufacturers to form the Association of Licensed Automobile Manufacturers or risk lawsuits, effectively delaying innovation and shaping the industry's corporate structure for decades.
November 5, 1895
131 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on November 5
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Jehan Lagadeuc's Catholicon hit print on November 5, 1499, establishing the first printed dictionaries for both Breton and French languages. This publication st…
The St. Felix’s Flood obliterated the Dutch city of Reimerswaal, permanently submerging the once-prosperous trading hub beneath the Oosterschelde estuary. This …
Akbar’s Mughal forces crushed the army of Hem Chandra Vikramaditya at the Second Battle of Panipat after a stray arrow struck the Hindu king in the eye. This vi…
Guy Fawkes stands caught with thirty-six barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords, his plan to annihilate King James I and Parliament foiled just hours b…
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