Legendary TRACTOR BUILDERS
The personal computer would not exist without tractors. Hold on, how can that be, you say? Well, if Bill Gates and Steve Jobs had spent 12 hours a day shelling corn, threshing grain, butchering chickens, hauling wood and all the other work required to live off the land – as early Americans once did – they would not have had time to cobble together circuit boards in their garages. Agricultural innovation transformed our society, and the tractor is the machine that shoulders the bulk of the work. Without it, there would be no tablets, cell phones or other devices your nieces and nephews use to torment you.
Today’s topic is a short list of folks who are responsible for the diesel-powered beasts that begat the digital revolution. I made a list of 25 or so folks for this article. As it happens, given my love of the topic and my verbosity, I only have space to write about eight of them! While all eight are worthy, they were selected mainly by the quality of their story. I would not consider this list definitive.
All are, however, key contributors,
