Automobile: "a self-propelled passenger vehicle used for land transport, usually with four wheels and an internal combustion engine,"(Webster's II New College Dictionary). An automobile is designed to operate on a road or a street, and specifically carrying two to seven passengers. The history of the automobile is fairly long. Some would venture to say it began around 4,000 years ago in India when the first wheel was used for transportation. Others say the 15th century when the Portuguese arrived in China and together they came up with the creation of a wheel that turned under its own power. In the 1600's small steam-powered engine models were developed, still this was not the automobile that we know today.

After the invention of the steam-powered engine in the 17th century, many attempts were made to use this source of power to propel road vehicles. The early attempts were unsuccessful, but...