Firestone tyres PART ONE

As the railroad punched its way across 19th century America, it proved be the catalyst to transform albeit a vast, but predominately parochial, country into a modern, cosmopolitan society. It opened up the country, creating new markets, providing the means to swiftly transport goods, raw materials and people across its many states, which hitherto had relied upon the motive power of the horse.

Towards the latter part of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, the country underwent another transport revolution – the development of the internal combustion engine. Technological change takes time and does not occur overnight, and whilst the train still rolled on it would take 50 years or so for the tractor, automobile, and commercial truck to gain acceptance and replace the horse and wagon – the principle prime movers on farms and within cities. As it did so, it provided the population