Russians leaving Portsmouth (before 1920)

The automobile was first invented and perfected in Germany and France in the late 1890s. Americans quickly came to dominate the automotive industry after WWI. Throughout this initial era, the development of automotive technology was rapid. Hundreds of small manufacturers competing to gain the world's attention. Key developments included the electric ignition system, independent suspension, and four-wheel brakes. Transmissions and throttle controls were widely adopted and safety glass also made its debut. Henry Ford perfected mass-production techniques, and Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler emerged as the “Big Three” auto companies by the 1920s. Car manufacturers received enormous orders from the military during World War II, and afterward automobile production in the United States, Europe, and Japan soared.

The Siege and Battle of Port Arthur marked the commencement of the Russo-Japanese War. Porth Artur was the deep-water port and Russian naval base at the tip of the Liaodong Peninsula in Manchuria. Port Arthur was widely regarded as one of the most strongly fortified positions in the world at the time. It was the longest and most violent land battle of the Russo-Japanese War. Russian land forces in the course of the siege suffered 31,000 casualties, of whom 15,000 were killed, wounded, and missing.