science · 16 November 1901 · 123 years ago
In 1901, the first American racer to exceed the speed of a mile a minute (60 mph) was that of A.C. Bostwick on the Ocean Parkway racetrack in Brooklyn, New York. During a race sponsored by the Long Island Automobile Club, Bostwick achieved an average speed of 63.83 mph along a one-mile straightaway on the course, thus completing the mile in 56.4 seconds. European car manufacturers and drivers dominated early motor racing, a phenomenon reflected in the first seven speed records. However, in 1902, just under a year after Bostwick's historic run, William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., a businessman and racing enthusiast, became the first American to enter the land speed record books when he ran a mile in 47.32 seconds, or at an average speed of 76.086 mph. The Mors automobile that Vanderbilt drove was also the first vehicle with an internal combustion engine to enter the speed record books. [Another source says - Henry Fournier drove a mile in 51 4/5 seconds, becoming the first auto racer to drive more than a mile-a-minute in competition - in Brooklyn, New York.]
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