WHO invented the automobile? uhhhhh no we didn't

[Thunder22]

Dear Mr. President,

Karl Benz invented the automobile, a German, in Germany. Not an American.




Carry on.

[LeMansX5]

I had a feeling its not us.

[rayxi]

Haha, and while he's at it he should take note that Ottawa is not in Iowa.

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by rayxi

Haha, and while he's at it he should take note that Ottawa is not in Iowa.

May be he was referring to this. Truth is Ontario is in Cali.

[vegasX5]

Sounds like Biden is rubbing off

[Wagner]

Originally Posted by gresch

Dear Mr. President,

Karl Benz invented the automobile, a German, in Germany. Not an American.




Carry on.

Biden thought web sites had a "number" not a "url". I am hoping he meant "IP"

"Mr. Vice President, what is the web address of this site?"

"I'm embarrassed, I don't remember. What is the number again?"

And we thought Bush was the Pinnacle of stupid, it hasn't been 100 days yet

[Loophole]

"Karl Benz invented the automobile, a German, in Germany. Not an American."

Depends on what the meaning of "invented" is. An American, George B. Seldon, invented and filed a patent application May 8, 1879, although he had not actually built one at that time, and was later granted U.S. patent 549,160 as inventor of the automobile. So, although it is true he did not build an automobile before Benz's first three wheeler, technically and legally in the US, he is credited with having invented the automobile.

[LeMansX5]

Originally Posted by Loophole

"Karl Benz invented the automobile, a German, in Germany. Not an American."

Depends on what the meaning of "invented" is. An American, George B. Seldon, invented and filed a patent application May 8, 1879, although he had not actually built one at that time, and was later granted U.S. patent 549,160 as inventor of the automobile. So, although it is true he did not build an automobile before Benz's first three wheeler, technically and legally in the US, he is credited with having invented the automobile.

wiki on George George B. Selden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Selden began working on a smaller lighter version, succeeding by 1878, some eight years before the public introduction of the Benz Patent Motorwagen in Europe, in producing a one-cylinder, 400-pound version



Karl Benz wiki -- Karl Benz - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Benz mobile

[rayxi]

Wow, that's a Selden known fact.

[Thunder22]

Obama's auto faux pas leads to history lesson - USATODAY.com

In promising support in his speech to Congress Tuesday, he said, "I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."

Actually, history — and the U.S. Library of Congress — credits Germany.

"It's a fact that Daimler invented the car," says Han Tjan, U.S. spokesman for the German automaker. "If someone says the U.S. invented the car, either it's an incomplete statement or sloppy research."

Daimler traces its roots to Germans Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler. The Library of Congress and other histories credit Benz with the first internal combustion-powered car, a three-wheeler, in 1885. Daimler and partner Wilhelm Maybach fielded a four-wheeler in 1886. Their operations merged into Daimler-Benz, now Daimler.

FIND MORE STORIES IN: United States | Internet | Barack Obama | Germany | Detroit | Charles | Vice President Al Gore | Library of Congress | Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers | Jen Psaki | Daimler-Benz | Gloria Bergquist | Karl Benz | Han Tjan | Wilhelm Maybach | Gottlieb Daimler
Massachusetts brothers Charles and Frank Duryea built a car in 1893 and later created a factory that built cars from one set of plans, instead of custom-building. That's considered the start of the U.S. auto industry. Henry Ford hit the road in 1896.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki, in an e-mail, cited the Duryeas as first, but added, "There may be some question about who invented the car, but make no mistake, we still make the best cars right here in America." She said the president was encouraging Americans "to remember our rich history of ingenuity."

While not as dramatic as when Vice President Al Gore appeared to take credit for inventing the Internet — "I took the initiative in creating the Internet," he told CNN in 1999 — the gaffe came as the auto industry looks to the administration to understand why it needs emergency loans.

General Motors has borrowed $13.4 billion and seeks $16.6 billion more. Chrysler has borrowed $4 billion and says it needs an additional $5 billion. An administration task force will decide their fate.

Auto industry folks say that, after a day to chew on it, they don't think the misstatement is indicative of the administration's depth of knowledge about the business. "When we talked about it today, we said it was a very strong statement. When you make a speech, you try to make the strongest statement you can," says Gloria Bergquist, spokeswoman at the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents most major automakers.

But "Oh, my," she says, "You'd think they'd have done some fact-checking."