This book introduces the history of the invention of automobiles, including Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot's steam engine vehicle, Nikolaus August Otto's four-stroke internal-combustion engine, Henry Ford and the Model T, and the contributions of other inventors such as Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz. Other chapters delve into automobile parts, from pistons and cylinders to wheels and brake pads, as well as the intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes that convert gasoline to motion and keep an automobile moving. Other sections cover different kinds of automobiles, from SUVs to hybrid cars, as well as the designers, assembly line workers, salespeople, race car drivers, and millions of other people for whom the automobile industry provides jobs. Fun facts discuss the prevalence of automobiles in the United States, the first automobile race, Mary Anderson's invention of windshield wipers, and the function of safety glass. The book also addresses safety belts, pollution, fuel efficiency, the Clean Air Act, the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, carpooling, and new technologies such as entertainment systems that allow satellite television and DVD players in automobiles. Full-color photographs, informative diagrams, glossary words in bold, a graphic timeline, and an index enhance this engaging, easy-to-read text about automobiles, an everyday invention that influences transportation worldwide. Checkerboard Library is an imprint of ABDO Publishing Company.