Weighing 550 pounds and with solid rubber tires mounted on wheels that were 28 inches in diameter, this noisy red steam powered automobile had a tank that burned kerosene to heat water which created the steam that powered its engine - while leaving an impressive cloud of steam in its wake! Curious, delighted, surprised, angry and even frightened onlookers came out in droves to witness the event and to contribute their opinions. From excited waving young boys, to interested and inquisitive men and women ... from a traumatized fine lady about to faint to a disapproving old widow ready to throw a cabbage from the vegetable market, everyone had something to say! Scenes like this repeated themselves across the country, whether in small towns or large cities, and regardless of the opinions and reactions, the automobile was here to stay.

The year is 1899 and the U.S. is forging ahead into a new century powered by the momentum left over from the end of the Gilded Age (1893) and the start of the Progressive Era of reform. The Spanish-American War has just ended and anti-Imperialist Americans, as well as President William McKinley, are experiencing the dilemma of having acquired Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines from Spain. In Africa, the Second Boer War is starting where the forces of British Imperialism are clashing with tribesmen.. Blizzards ravage much of the U.S.early in the year, devastating Florida and Georgia citrus crops. Some areas measure their 3 day snowfall in feet, not inches. New York City is the battlefront between newsboys and newspaper moguls who raise the price of papers so that many boys take a loss. The boys go on strike and win a victory, leading to similar strikes in other cities. 1899 sees both the patent for aspirin and the first distribution of Bayer aspirin, the invention of the paperclip, the development of the wireless telephone, the invention of the magnetic tape recorder - and the first automobile dealership opening in New York City, to sell Winton automobiles. Mile-a-minute-Murphy earns his nickname by being the first man to ride a mile on his bike in less than one minute. NEC Corporation is organized and is the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital. Kmart is founded. Scott Joplin composes Maple Leaf Rag. And on December 31, a large standing stone at Stonehenge falls over - the last time this has happened. Also, Missouri becomes the "Show Me" state; Wisconsin's last wild passenger pigeon is shot; Carnation evaporated milk goes on sale for the first time; and Coca-Cola is bottled for the first time. Born in 1899 are Al Capone, gangster; Walter Lantz, animator; Duke Ellington, musician; E.B. White, writer; James Cagney, actor; Alfred Hitchcock, director; Noel Coward, playwright; Harold Abrahams, athlete; and Humphrey Bogart, actor. Deaths include Princess Kaiulani, last monarch of Hawaii; Johann Strauss Jr., composer; Cornelius Vanderbilt II, railway magnate; Percy Pilcher, aviation pioneer and glider pilot; and Garret Hobart, 24th Vice President of the U.S. In literature, Rudyard Kipling publishes "The White Man's Burden"; "Who's Who in America" is published for the first time by Albert Nelson Marquis; Frank Norris publishes "McTeague"; and H.G. Wells publishes "Tales of Space and Time." Paul Gauguin paints "Two Tahitian Women," Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec produces "Red-headed Woman Sitting in M. Forest's Garden," Mary Cassatt paints "Mrs. Horace O. Havemeyer," and Thomas Eakins completes "The Agnew Clinic." In theater, major productions include "Barbara Frietchie," "Children of the Ghetto," "The Rounders," and "The Tenor." Popular songs include "My Wild Irish Rose" "O Sole Mio," and "Hello, My Baby." In sports, James J. Jeffries wins the world heavyweight title from Bob Fitzsimmons with an 11th round knockout; the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers win their first National League pennant - steroids-free; the liquid-center gutta percha golf ball replaces the solid gutta percha ball used since 1848, which sill soon be succeeded by a ball with tightly wound rubber threads wrapped around a solid rubber core; and George Grant receives a patent on the world's first golf tee - originally made of rubber. 1899 also sees the production of over 900 silent motion pictures, some 30 minutes long, others just over one minute.