Jeeps were four-wheel utility vehicles created for the use of the army in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Tough, rugged, and practically unstoppable, the Jeep is not only the star of hundreds of war and adventure films; it is also the ancestor of the stylish yet rugged sport-utility vehicles (SUVs; see entry under 1980s—The Way We Lived in volume 5) now produced by most automobile manufacturers.

Shortly after World War I (1914–18), the American armed forces recognized a need for a light, tough automobile for use in reconnaissance (survey and exploration of battle areas). By 1940, as another war loomed on the horizon, the American army challenged 135 American automakers to produce such a vehicle. The army gave the car manufacturers a list of specifications. These specifications included four-wheel drive; a pedestal to hold a machine gun; extra ground clearance (space between the bottom of the vehicle and the ground...