Obama: America invented the automobile

Obama said US auto industry must modernize but hinted that there would be no endless bailouts for the Big 3

Obama Joint Session of Congress speech - 02.24.2009

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Renegade

Hahahahaha, what a twip, he has all the time in the world to equal George Bush in public mistakes.

February 25, 2009 12:03 pm

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afterace2

If America invented an automobile, then why can't they actually build a proper one?

February 25, 2009 12:04 pm

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1 reply

djcocum

Well said!! hahahahaha

March 5, 2009 5:34 pm

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JackJack

Actually, it was Karl Benz that first patented the three wheeled automobile on 29 January 1886. Daimler patented the first bike in 1885, but his patent for his four wheel car was only awarded several months after Benz, but yes it definitely was invented by the founders of Daimler AG. And they are GERMAN !!!!!! Not a Yank !!! Henry Ford was the first person to mass produce vehicles using the flow line method. I.O.W one person assembles the chassis, one the suspension, another the tyres etc. All in a line. Similar to modern factories. But that was nearly 15 years after the modern car was invented. Dear President Bush.....oops sorry Obama, please do a little research before making a stupid speech like that

February 25, 2009 12:16 pm

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Samuel_spektor

Silly americans, always thinking that the world revolves around them. Jackjack is absolutley right, we have Mr. Karl Benz or germany to thank for the automobile. American ignorance always gets me so peeved.

February 25, 2009 12:33 pm

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1 reply

KaiserM715

Please do not lump all Americans in with this twit. I am more than willing to give credit where it is due.

February 25, 2009 1:40 pm

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Beetle

Here we go... Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (1725-1804) 1769 STEAM / Built the first self propelled road vehicle (military tractor) for the French army: three wheeled, 2.5 mph. Wikipedia isnt always correct

February 25, 2009 12:34 pm

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catchmyshadow

Of course it was Karl Benz, but that doesn´t really matter as long as millions of americans think that BENZ is a traditional american brand. unfortunately no joke here.

February 25, 2009 12:36 pm

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1 reply

afterace2

hahahah, You are serious? Onion should make an episode about that!

February 25, 2009 12:42 pm

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Targa_Florio

One can also argue that French invented the first automobile: Cugnot created a "self-propelled automobile" (steam-powered) in 1770... It's also a French, Trouvé, who did invent the first electric vehicle in 1880. One thing is sure, Automobile is a French word, which is why we pronounce "automobeel"!

February 25, 2009 12:37 pm

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1 reply

nici01

Automobile comes from auto and mobilis - which is greek and latin (mobilis)not french at all!

February 26, 2009 6:55 pm

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that's a good one AFTERACE2! 1:0

February 25, 2009 12:45 pm

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catchmyshadow

we are talking about combustion engines here. manufactured cars for the public were never run on steam or something, therefore the godfather of our cars today was Mr Benz. obama mixed things up, The first MASS PRODUCED AUTOMOBILE was made by Henry Ford.

February 25, 2009 12:45 pm

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1 reply

Targa_Florio

No, we are talking about automobiles. Combustion engines have been created apart from automobiles (some of them used gunpowder, hydrogen...

February 25, 2009 12:52 pm

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catchmyshadow

it is the same with the telephone and BELL. Reis, a german engineer, who claimed to have invented telephone with creating a receiver for telephone transmitting. The common wisdom is that Reis' telephone was only marginal, while BELL's phone really worked. it´s the same with Benz and the other before, the idea and patent of BENZ was the only one that really worked properly.

February 25, 2009 1:05 pm

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danat86

It was not his fault, blame the person who wrote that speech. Presidents never write speeches, they just memorize them.

February 25, 2009 1:11 pm

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2 replies

Targa_Florio

That's true. Nowadays presidents are theatrical actors. Looking forward to have them being cinema actors, they would be able to reenact the scenes :-P

February 25, 2009 1:20 pm

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Michael-Heinrich

Not really, they don't memorize speeches, you can see the teleprompters in the photo above. And he's reading from the screen to his left.

February 26, 2009 7:23 am

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najdier

He's right. America did invent the mediocre automobile. No other developed country can claim to build so many rolling mediocrities.

February 25, 2009 1:43 pm

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porsche08

Trust me, I did not vote for this idiot!!!! I am proud to be an American, but I am scared what the next 4 years hold for us.... by the way, I agree Germans build the best cars by far, I sell them for a living...

February 25, 2009 2:00 pm

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2 replies

Bremen_Koenigsegg

Wow, if Obama is an idiot, I would love to learn about the person you voted for... because clearly said individual wasn't involved in any of the presidential election coverage I watched.

February 25, 2009 7:45 pm

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Michael-Heinrich

Hillary R. Clinton would be a better president. Germans have the lead not only in the auto industry, but a female head-of-government as well.

February 26, 2009 7:29 am

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out4ride

I thought he said "we invented the automobile industry" not an automobile itself. Can some one veryfi it.

February 25, 2009 2:14 pm

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Iconic

So which idiot.. did you vote for? Because I think he was the least idiotic of the choices we were given.

February 25, 2009 2:27 pm

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catchmyshadow

as stated above, he precisely said: "the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it." edit: and yes, obama is probably the least idiotic, egomanic and dangerous of the choices

February 25, 2009 2:30 pm

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danat86

Initiating Chris Crocker mode...: LEAVE OBAMA ALONE...please. Leave Obama alone..right now! I mean it. /Chris Crocker mode off.

February 25, 2009 3:03 pm

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500lbman

I am sick of elitist Europeans making remarks as if no one in Europe or Britain ever says or does anything wrong. Obama made a mistake. Guess what, he's gonna make a bunch more. You are not perfect. I am not perfect. Let's discuss things in a way that is productive not destructive.

February 25, 2009 3:31 pm

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2 replies

dezibel

Well, noone is perfect. This mistake just suits the ignorance and extreme patriotism of some US people. American people think America has invented the whole world. That is something the rest of the world doesnt like. You will never find a European president who says that his nation is the best country in the world in everything...

February 25, 2009 5:19 pm

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Iconic

Hey dezibel, didn't Gordon Brown recently say that he 'saved the world'? I agree a lot of americans here have delusions of grandeur, but I think it's just becoming apparent to them that it's all a sham.

February 25, 2009 5:35 pm

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vnostrand

With all due respect, their is a legitimate historical debate about whether Karl Benz of Germany or Charles Duryea of the US invented the first auto.

February 25, 2009 4:13 pm

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