On this very day, 28 November .. AD 1520 - Portugese explorer Fernao de Magalhaes AKA Fernando de Magallanes AKA Ferdinand Magellan, under the employ of Charles I King of Castile and...

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

AD 1520 - Portugese explorer Fernao de Magalhaes AKA Fernando de Magallanes AKA Ferdinand Magellan, under the employ of Charles I King of Castile and Aragon ... AKA Spain ... entered the Pacific Ocean with three of the original five ships.

The SANTIAGO had been lost during a storm, the SAN ANTONIO had mutinied and headed back towards Spain.

The entrance into the Pacific made Magellan the first European explorer to enter the Pacific from the Atlantic Ocean.

AD 1895 - America's first auto race was conducted, from Chicago, Illinois to Evanston, Illinois and back. Six cars competed in the fifty five mile circuit/ Frank Durtea was the winner averaging a death defying seven miles per hour.

AD 1925 - 'THE GRAND OLE OPRY' originally titled 'WSM BARN DANCE' first appeared on radio station WSM out of the fifth floor radio studio in the 'NATIONAL LIFE & ACCIDENT INSURANCE COMPANY BUILDING' in downtown Nashville, Tennessee USA.

The first performer was African American country and blues star DeFORD BAILEY. The closing act was the FRUIT JAR DRINKERS.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

LWW wrote:

...AD 1895 - America's first auto race was conducted, from Chicago, Illinois to Evanston, Illinois and back. Six cars competed in the fifty five mile circuit/ Frank Durtea was the winner averaging a death defying seven miles per hour...

If you have ever driven a tractor over a rough field at 7 mph, you will consider that death defying. I don't know what the car suspensions looked like back then but the tractors have no suspension. The frame of the tractor is the engine/transmission. The wheels are connected directly to the frame. No springs other than pneumatic tires.

I suspect the roads back then were not much better than some of my fields in the spring.

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

I wonder how many times the driver passed out going at that death defying speed, 7 mph, WOW, enquiring minds want to know?

cdayton

DirtFarmer wrote:

If you have ever driven a tractor over a rough field at 7 mph, you will consider that death defying. I don't know what the car suspensions looked like back then but the tractors have no suspension. The frame of the tractor is the engine/transmission. The wheels are connected directly to the frame. No springs other than pneumatic tires.

I suspect the roads back then were not much better than some of my fields in the spring.

I learned to drive on a Ford tractor at about age 11. I doubt that I ever achieved 7 mph.

petrochemist Loc: UK

I wonder how quickly a modern Indy car could do it on the same quality of roads. If American roads of that period were anything like British ones I expect average 7mph would be rather optimistic. A modern road car would no doubt manage much quicker. :)

LWW Loc: Banana Republic of America

petrochemist wrote:

I wonder how quickly a modern Indy car could do it on the same quality of roads. If American roads of that period were anything like British ones I expect average 7mph would be rather optimistic. A modern road car would no doubt manage much quicker. :)

An Indy car would bottom out on the first bump.

petrochemist Loc: UK

LWW wrote:

An Indy car would bottom out on the first bump.

Exactly my thoughts
It would probably have to be carried more than half the way. :)