Methods Of Transportation Essay

Methods of transportation have changed from the first decade of the twentieth century to the first decade of the twenty first century. Although transportation has changed and developed over human history, and humans have traveled using various mediums, only the two aforementioned decades and three transportation methods will be taken into account here: railway, automobile, and aeronautic transportation. These three means of transportation are important because they have had an outstanding influence on all societies that have employed them. Even though all three were used in the 1900 's and 2000 's, the way they were used was different in each decade. In order to demonstrate how they were different, it is necessary to contrast the state and …show more content…
By 1900, railroad transportation was a commonly used means of transportation, but Canada had not yet established a railroad act. An act was created, however, just as a Canadian Transportation Agency Publication notes that the act “had its origins 100 years ago in an atmosphere of intense commercial competition and vigorous—even strident—political rivalry” (6). From this data, it is evident that railroad transport was an already important means of transportation given the fact that there was intense commercial and political interest, which is why, in 1903, the Railway Act was enacted. Automobiles, however, were just beginning: “The first Canadian automobile, built in 1867 by Henry Seth Taylor, was regarded as a novelty, as were the single-cylinder vehicles that were imported from the US in 1898. In 1904 Canada 's automotive industry began with the establishment of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Ltd” (“Automobile”). Thus, by the early 1900 's, automobiles were still in their early stages even though they were first developed in 1867, but in an embryonic form, nevertheless. Likewise, aircraft had their beginning in the early twentieth century. The famous Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, first flew their Wright Flyer in December of 1903. Even though this innovation was very new, practical applications of it were being sought in same decade. According to David Chenoweth, “In December 1907, the U.S. Army issued Signal Corps Specification Number 486, an advertisement for a heavier-than-air flying machine” (6). Manned air flight was new, but its potential must have been seen, which is why the American military sought it. On the whole, these means of transportation in 1900-1910 were underdeveloped, or in the case of railroads, were underdeveloped legally since the Railway Act had just been