Automobile industry lobbying groups literally invented the crime of jaywalking in the 1920s to shift the legal blame for deadly street collisions away from drivers and onto pedestrians.

A closer look

Automobile industry lobbying groups literally invented the crime of jaywalking in the 1920s to shift the legal blame for deadly street collisions away from drivers and onto pedestrians. Before cars dominated the landscape, city streets were chaotic public spaces shared equally by walkers, vendors, and horses. When speeding vehicles started killing people at an alarming rate, the public demanded strict speed limits. Panicked car manufacturers responded by running massive PR campaigns painting pedestrians as rural simpletons, using the derogatory slang term jay to mock anyone walking in the road. They successfully gaslit an entire society into believing that public roads belong exclusively to massive, dangerous metal machines rather than human beings. Thanks to this brilliant century-old corporate propaganda, you can now get slapped with a hefty government fine just for crossing an empty street in a completely safe manner, purely because the asphalt gods demand your total submission

Automobile industry lobbying groups literally invented the crime of jaywalking in the 1920s to shift the legal blame for deadly street collisions away from drivers and onto pedestrians.

A closer look

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School buses are painted a highly specific shade known as 'National School Bus Glossy Yellow' because the human eye notices the color yellow faster than any other color on the spectrum.

When cars had to be pulled by horses

Personal automobiles remain completely stationary and parked for roughly ninety-five percent of their operational lifespan, making them one of the most inefficient capital investments a human being can make.

In 1891, the entire state of Ohio had only two automobiles, and they somehow managed to crash into each other.

Automakers in the 1920s experimented with mounting literal pedestrian catchers on the front bumpers of early cars to scoop up people walking in the street instead of violently running them over.

Karl Benz's wife, Bertha, took the world's first long-distance road trip in 1888 without telling her husband, effectively inventing the concept of joyriding.

Automobile industry lobbying groups literally invented the crime of jaywalking in the 1920s to shift the legal blame for deadly street collisions away from drivers and onto pedestrians.

A closer look

A bigger world.One discoveryat a time.

Keep exploring

School buses are painted a highly specific shade known as 'National School Bus Glossy Yellow' because the human eye notices the color yellow faster than any other color on the spectrum.

When cars had to be pulled by horses

Personal automobiles remain completely stationary and parked for roughly ninety-five percent of their operational lifespan, making them one of the most inefficient capital investments a human being can make.

In 1891, the entire state of Ohio had only two automobiles, and they somehow managed to crash into each other.

Automakers in the 1920s experimented with mounting literal pedestrian catchers on the front bumpers of early cars to scoop up people walking in the street instead of violently running them over.

Karl Benz's wife, Bertha, took the world's first long-distance road trip in 1888 without telling her husband, effectively inventing the concept of joyriding.

A bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.