1886

  • The Statue of Liberty is dedicated (1886)

    The idea for the Statue of Liberty  was conceived in 1865, when the French historian and abolitionist Édouard de Laboulaye proposed a monument to commemorate the upcoming centennial of U.S. independence (1876), the perseverance of American democracy and the liberation of the nation’s slaves. The Franco-Prussian War delayed progress until 1875, when Laboulaye proposed that the people of France finance the…

  • Happy Birthday Frank Clement (1886)

    Frank Charles Clement (15 June 1886 – 15 February 1970) was a British racing driver who, along with Canadian John Duff, won the 1924 24 Hours of Le Mans. One of the “Bentley Boys”, Clement was recruited by W.O. Bentley as a test driver for Bentley Motors. He was chosen by the company to…

  • Karl Benz Patents First Gasoline / Petrol Car (1886)

    143 years ago, this patent did the most to enable human mobility. On the 29th of January 1886 Karl Benz patented the first gasoline / petrol car. This started a mobility revolution with the first personal vehicles. Karl Benz went on to build one of the largest and prolific and well-known car companies that…