Fill 'er up, 1915: Automotive technology went hand-in-hand with advances in industrial-scale gas (petroleum) production and distribution. Image: Scientific American, January 2, 1915
Fuel Truck: This German army tanker truck on a Benz chassis carried fuel, oil and water for all kinds of motor vehicles during World War I. Image: Scientific American Supplement, February 20, 1915
Selling Speed: Oldsmobile was famous for winning a race in 1905 against a 20th-Century Limited railway train. This advertisement from 1915 used the same artist and the same “It Sets the Pace” slogan, but with an updated car. Image: Scientific American, March 6, 1915
Farm Truck: A corrugated wheel design from 1915 may have helped minimize damage to hard roads and maximize traction on the soft ground of fields “when hauling ploughs and other farm machinery.” Image: Scientific American, October 16, 1915
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Hauling Logs: This gasoline-powered, seven-ton tractor at work in 1915 in the snow near Brewer, Maine, was repaired after it broke through ice and sank 50 feet into a lake. The driver apparently drowned. Image: Scientific American, May 29, 1915
Selling Precision: This 1915 advertisement for Studebaker (the company produced cars from 1902 to 1966) emphasized the quality and reliability of their engineering and manufacturing. Image: Scientific American, April 3, 1915
Cadillac “Eight”: This eight-cylinder engine from 1915 by Cadillac (the company is still in business) was compact and reduced the need for a long bonnet. The engine is mounted on a demonstration chassis. Image: Scientific American, July 3, 1915
Armored Car: This Belgian armored car (probably made by Minerva) from World War I carries what looks to be a 37-millimeter cannon. Early armored cars had a motley array of designs, weapons, maintenance needs and abilities, but they were occasionally useful. Image: Scientific American Supplement, May 1, 1915
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Military Tractors: This tractor was used for hauling supplies for an army at war. It was an “enormous gasoline-propelled machine....It has been used by the German army for the transportation of heavy guns and trains of supply wagons.” Image: Scientific American, May 29, 1915
Military Truck: Early in the Great War the British army (and most armies) bought and used commercial vehicles that worked well enough for military use. This truck carrying supplies may be a 3-ton lorry (truck) made by Albion Motors in Scotland. Image: Scientific American, November 6, 1915
![Motor Vehicles Change the World, 1915 [Slideshow]](https://static.scientificamerican.com/sciam/cache/file/DB8BA6A9-E0D9-4135-9C6FF48F43F59C40.jpg?w=590&h=393)
