Horatio Jackson Wins Cross-Country Wager

The first people to drive an automobile across the continental United States were physician Horatio Nelson Jackson and mechanic Sewall K. Crocker. In 1903, Jackson accepted a $50 wager that a car could cross the country in under 90 days, despite having little driving experience and not owning a car. They reached New York City after 63 days, 12 hours, and 30 minutes, having repaired their Winton repeatedly and replaced most of its original parts. When Jackson continued home to Burlington, Vermont, the drive chain, one of the few original parts remaining, snapped at the threshold of his garage.

Previous Fact Next Fact