GM at 100

September 16, 2008

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Profile America — Tuesday, September 16th. One of the nation’s largest corporations is 100 years old today. General Motors was the brainchild of William Durant of Flint, Michigan. Durant co-founded Chevrolet — named after noted European racing drivers Louis and Gaston Chevrolet — and he promoted Buick to prominence on early racetracks. Two times over the years, Durant headed — and then lost control — of General Motors. Besides Oldsmobile, GM has made several brands no longer around, including Marquette, Oakland and LaSalle. In 1908, when GM was founded, there was a total of 198,000 cars and trucks in the U.S. Now, there are more than 241 million motor vehicles on the nation’s roads. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2008, p. 460
Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 716
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2008, t. 1064
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2008edition.html