Motocycle
Motocycle was a word used in the United States in the latter part of the 19th century for a horseless carriage, the type of vehicle now known as a car or automobile. The word caught on initially as it was short and easier to understand than other possibilities, such as "automobile carriage", "motor carriage", "motor vehicle", or "auto carriage".[4] It is now archaic and rarely used. The term "motor vehicle" is currently used in legal, transportation planning and academic terminology.
First uses
One of the first publications of the word "motocycle" in the United States was when
The Times-Herald motocycle race was run yesterday.[5]
It turns out that Herman H. Kohlsaat, owner of the Times-Herald, and Frederick Upham Adams, a local writer with a mechanical engineering interest, ran a public contest for someone to come up with a unique name to replace "horseless carriage" that represented the new motorized transport. The $500 prize for the new name went to the general manager of the
Later uses
Starting in the twentieth century the name "automobile" became popular instead of motocycle in the United States and in Great Britain the motocycle became "motorcar" or "autocar".[8][9][10]
In 1898 "Modern machinery" magazine pointed out the merits of gasoline-, electric- and steam-propelled 4-wheeled motocycles (automobiles).[13]
Legal
The term "motor vehicle" is defined in legal terms as most self-powered vehicles (i.e.
See also
References
- ^ Horseless Age: the automobile trade magazine, Volume 1, p. 34
- ^ The Motocycle magazine, November 1895, pp. 37-38
- ^ Treasury of early American automobiles, 1877-1925 by Floyd Clymer, p. 8
- ^ Sturmey, p. 67
- ^ "The Chicago Times-Herald", November 29, 1895
- ^ The Chicago Times-Herald, July 25, 1895
- ^ a b King, p. 18
- ^ May, p. 26
- ^ World Book, p. 138
- ^ McComb, p. 6
- ^ a b c May, George S., Encyclopedia..., pp. 286-293
- ^ May, p. 27 On September 11 (1895), King advised the Chicago Times-Herald that although he was "using all haste", it did not seem likely he could complete his motocycle by November 2.
- ^ Modern machinery, Volumes 3-4, pp. 589-591
- ^ The 5 Words Used to Control / Enslave You Archived 2012-03-24 at archive.today
- ^ "New York Code / N.Y. VAT. LAW ยง 311". FindLaw.com. 1 October 1960. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
- ^ "Division 1 Words and Phrases Defined". California Air Resources Board. 22 December 2017. Archived from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
Primary sources
- King, Charles B., A Golden Anniversary 1895-1945 / Personal Side Lights of America's First Automobile Race, Privately Printed by King 1945, Press work by Super-Power Printing Company, New York City
Secondary sources
- May, George S., A most unique machine: the Michigan origins of the American automobile industry, Eerdmans, 1975
- May, George S., Encyclopedia of American Business History and Biography, Bruccoli Clark Layman, 1990, ISBN 0-8160-2084-1
- McComb, F. Wilson, Behind the wheel: the magic and manners of early motoring, Paddington Press, 1977
- Sturmey, Henry, The Autocar: a journal published in the interests of the mechanically propelled road carriage, Volume 1, Iliffe, sons & Sturmey ltd., 1896
- World Book Inc., The World Book Dictionary, Volume 2, World Book 2006, ISBN 0-7166-0299-7
External links
- Media related to Motocycle at Wikimedia Commons