History of SAE and Automotive Industry (1905-2002)

* Information not directly affiliated with SAE is denoted with italics

		1905				• SAE started in New York City • 30 total SAE members • U.S. produced 25,000 automobiles • First car reported stolen in St. Louis, Missouri
		1906				• First SAE technical meeting • First SAE Transactions published • Alabama set maximum speed limit at 8 mph for the state
		1907				• General Motors formed with acquisition of Buick, Cadillac, Oakland (Pontiac) and Oldsmobile • A Paris daily newspaper sponsored the first truly long distance rally for automobiles. Five entries left Beijing, China bound for Paris on June 10. The winner, driving an Italia, arrived in Paris on August 10.
		1908				• First Model T Ford built
		1909				• First SAE logo developed
		1910				• Automobiles designed with closed-in body, stimulating their general appeal • New York introduced first drunk driving laws • Bayer began small scale production of synthesized rubber in Germany • About 500,000 motor vehicles produced in U.S.
		1911				• First SAE junior member • SAE Bulletin (currently Automotive Engineering International) • Swiss race car driver and engineer Louis Chevrolet built first car with financing by William Durant. Chevrolet Motors formed. • General Motors Truck Co. established (later called GMC) • Automobile self starter perfected by Charles F. Kettering. Replaced the hand-crank. • Interchangeable parts introduced by Henry M. Leland
		1912				• First SAE Standard published • First SAE exhibit at the Madison Square Garden Auto Show
		1913				• Henry Ford introduced the first moving assembly line at his Model T plant in Highland Park, Michigan • Ford produced 1000 cars in one day • More than one million cars registered in the U.S. • First drive-in gas station created in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
		1914				• Ford gave workers $5 for an eight-hour work day, up from $2.34 for a nine-hour day • First electric traffic light installed in Cleveland, Ohio • First stop sign used in Detroit, Michigan • The Dodge Brothers Company conducted what is known as the beginning of crash testing by driving a car into a brick wall at 20 mph
		1915				• First SAE student branch - Cornell University
		1916				• Society of Automobile Engineers became Society of Automotive Engineers • American Society of Aeronautic Engineers and Society of Tractor Engineers merge with SAE
		1917				• First SAE aerospace standard on interchangeable spark plugs issued
		1918				• First three-color traffic signal light used in Detroit
		1919				• Oregon introduced first gasoline tax
		1920				• First woman joined SAE, Miss Nellie M. Scott • Lubricants Division of standards committee formed
		1922				• Denver created the first specially designed police car with a machine gun located on the hood of the car
		1923				• 5,390 total SAE members • Powered windshield wipers became standard equipment on many cars • Radio first offered as car accessory • The Lincoln Highway became the first paved roadway, allowing drivers to go from New York to San Francisco • Hertz became first national car rental agency • Antifreeze created to allow motorists to drive year round
		1924				• First SAE award given - Wright Brothers medal • Walter Chrysler displayed first car at New York auto show and sold 32,000 cars in first year • 1 in 7 Americans owned a car
		1925				• U.S. Government developed numbering system of federal roads
		1926				• SAE Handbook issued as a bound volume for the first time • Shatterproof glass allowed automobile industry to accent the safety sales message
		1930				• Diesel Engine Activity formed • SAE 25th anniversary
		1933				• SAE Fuels and Lubricants Activity formed
		1935				• SAE Tractor and Industrial Power Equipment formed
		1936				• First SAE national aircraft production meeting
		1937				• Automatic transmission brought into market
		1939				• Buick introduced turn signals as standard equipment • Auto air conditioning created • SAE Aerospace Material Specification published
		1940				• First four-wheel drive all-purpose automobile made for American military. Known as the GI, it was soon nicknamed the GP (a Jeep).
		1942				• War Activity Council formed • Cooperative Research Council formed, sponsored jointly by SAE and the American Petroleum Institute • Civilian car production halted for World War II
		1943				• SAE War Activity Office established (currently Automotive Headquarters)
		1944				• SAE Special Publication Department established
		1946				• SAE Technical Board began operation • First power windows introduced
		1947				• SAE Engineering Material Activity formed • Henry Ford died at 83
		1953				• 22,814 total SAE members • First SAE Journal published
		1955				• SAE 50th anniversary • U.S. production record hit 9 million vehicles
		1956				• Electric door locks introduced in several luxury car models • The Interstate Highway Act created a super highway network to connect all parts of the nation
		1958				• SAE Section Board approved
		1960				• California created first auto emissions law • Private car ownership reached 1 car for every 31 people in the world: 1 for every 22 in Europe and 1 for every 3 in the U.S., where 15% of families had more than 1 car
		1961				• 1,000th SAE aerospace material specification published
		1962				• Wisconsin introduced first law regarding the seat belt as a standard requirement • Child car seat with safety belt is introduced
		1964				• Teetor Award Program established
		1965				• Rear seat belts became standard on most cars • 29,098 SAE members • Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Act caused national standards to reduce auto emissions
		1966				• SAE Transactions computerized • SAE conversion guide (English to metric) created • SAE publications added international coverage
		1967				• Land, sea, air and space added to SAE logo
		1972				• Cars traveled along Los Angeles freeways at an average speed of 60 mph
		1973				• 29,362 total SAE members
		1974				• SAE world headquarters established in Warrendale, PA • National 55 mph speed limit enacted after oil shortages • The average American family spent 33% of yearly income for a new car • Air bags introduced as safety option
		1976				• Collegiate Design Series established with Mini Baja event
		1977				• SAE Fellow Award established
		1978				• SAE's Global Mobility Database formed on-line • SAE Women Engineers Committee formed • Japan accounted for more than half the cars imported into the U.S., with total sales passing 1.5 million units.
		1980				• SAE 75th anniversary • Japan surpassed U.S. in auto sales, becoming the world's largest auto producer
		1981				• SAE in Aerospace Engineering magazine (currently Aerospace Engineering) • New SAE logo adopted • First Formula SAE held • The pickup truck is the year's best selling vehicle
		1982				• Japanese auto manufacturer Honda began auto production in Marysville, Ohio
		1983				• Professional Development Program established
		1984				• SAE established Engineering Education Board • New York created first law requiring use of seat belts
		1986				• SAE Foundation approved • SAE Medal of Honor established
		1987				• Membership passed record breaking 50,000 mark • Child safety seat campaign introduced • SAE Historical committee established
		1988				• SAE launched billboard campaign on child safety seats: "Buckle Up Baby"
		1989				• CAESAR program initiated • SAE logo changes
		1989				• Truck Engineering magazine published (1987-1997)
		1990				• PRI (Performance Review Institute) established
		1991				• 61,604 total SAE members • A World in Motion established as science program for 4th-6th grade students • First SAE affiliate, SAE BRASIL formed • Anti-lock brakes popularized