How Detroit Became the "Automotive Capitol of the World"
The story behind the founding of the U.S. auto industry
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The author, a licensed Professional Engineer, has family roots in the Detroit area and has also been employed in an engineering capacity by all “Big Three” automakers; GM, Ford, & Chrysler. He remembers one cold and snowy wintry day, while walking on his way to a Detroit automotive plant, the thoughts that prevailed in his mind; “How could the auto industry prosper in such a place, way off the beaten path, in an isolated glove-shape piece of land thrust up between two lakes, and in weather like this?” Ohio and Indiana, who were also active in the creation of the auto industry in the U.S., are in the same general area of the country as Michigan and share the same climate. Why would anyone in the industry favor this three state area? One would think that other parts of the country would be more conducive to the formation of such an important part of the history of this nation. After all, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana were not members of the original 13 states and therefore have to be considered less developed territories than the original thirteen states around the turn of the 19th century when the American gasoline powered automobile was invented. Read how the author has searched for the answers to these somewhat perplexing questions regarding why Detroit became “The Motor City”.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
The author, a licensed Professional Engineer, has family roots in the Detroit area and has also been employed in an engineering capacity by all “Big Three” automakers; GM, Ford, & Chrysler. He has often wondered how the auto industry got its beginning in such a place as Detroit, Michigan, way off the beaten path, in an isolated glove-shaped piece of land thrust up between two lakes, where weather can be severe. Ohio and Indiana, who were also very active in the creation of the auto industry, are in the same general area of the country as Michigan and share the same climate. Why would anyone favor this three state area? One would think that other parts of the country would be more conducive to the formation of such an important part of the history of this nation. After all, Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana were not members of the original 13 states and therefore have to be considered less developed territories than the original thirteen states around the turn of the 19th century when the American Gasoline-powered automobile was invented. Read how the author has searched for the answers to these somewhat perplexing questions on why Detroit became the “Motor City”.
About the Author
The author has a BSME from Case-Western University, Cleveland, Ohio. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio. He has had 40 years of Mechanical Engineering experience, 26 of which were with the General Motors Corporation. While there, he obtained U.S. Patent number 4,645,432, “Magnetic Drive Vehicle Coolant Pump”. He went on to become a leader in anti-friction bearing applications in both the automotive and industrial fields. Valuable experience was also gained in gears and mechanical power transmission. Prior to that he was employed by TRW, Cleveland, Ohio, where he was responsible for bearings, gears and mechanical power transmission in the aircraft and missile fields under the tutelage of Mr. Thomas Barish, a leading mechanical power transmission consultant. Also, Mr. Tata has authored 25 technical papers that are available on the internet and other sources for professional development hours. He is also the author of the book “The Development of U.S. Missiles During the Space Race with the U.S.S.R.”. It is based on his experience, early in his career, working as a Flight Test Engineer at Cape Canaveral, Florida during the Cold War with the U.S.S.R.. More recently, Mr. Tata has ventured outside the technical field in authoring his second book, “The Greatest American Presidents”.