What? No power windows?

Remember the days when cars were basically wheels, seats, and an engine? Compared to the past, cars now are like advanced alien technology. There are now multiple airbags, rear-vision cameras, safety sensors and more that keep us safe. In regards to the changing landscape of car technology, we'd like to take a look at car features of the past.

Turn with all your strength.

Ben - "Why won't this steering wheel turn?" Grunting. The wheel slowly turns. This is an exaggeration of cars without power steering, but realistically it is much easier to steer cars with power steering than cars without. While this tech is standard in all cars now, it wasn't always. It was originally developed in 1951 by Chrysler and decades later it became standard.

Hit the brakes, Frank!

Ben - "You're sliding. Pump the brakes." Before the creation of Anti-lock brakes, proper braking was a honed practice and less of a reactionary response. Anti-lock brakes made it easier on the driver, so they could hold down the brake if they were sliding. This tech was offered for higher-end vehicles in the 1970s but they didn't become standard until way later.

Those are some good tunes, Frank!

Frank - "Turn that down Ben!" Music wasn't always available in cars. In fact, after it was invented a few groups tried to pass laws to get rid of them claiming they were distracting to drivers. That movement obviously failed. The first radio system in a car was released in 1922 and it was bulky. In the 1930s, smaller radio units were developed and integrated into cars as add-ons; they didn't become standard until the 1980s.

Ah, that's some cool air. Feel that breeze.

Frank- "It's 70 degrees outside Ben. You're wasting gas. Roll down the window!" Air conditioning is more of an expectation now than a convenience. Most cars have A/C, but this was not always so. Before the 1950s, an open window was the A/C. While the first car air conditioners became available in the 1950s, they didn't become standard until the past decade or so.