Drivers on the road today do not even remember a time when cars were manufactured without windshields, so the history of one of the most important vehicle safety fetures is nearly forgotten. But the New Year provides an opportunity to look both forward and glance into the past, and so Astro Auto Glass tells the story of the windshield’s development.
The Early 1900s: Optional Plate Glass Windshield
The first cars were essentially motorized horse carriages, and like horse-drawn carts, did not offer any front protection from the elements or road debris. In fact, drivers wore goggles for protection. The idea of having a see-through protective layer installed on the vehicle itself did not appear until 1904, over a decade after the first car rolled off the assembly line.
The first windshields were nothing more than two sheets of window-pane glass. Many models had an upper pane could be folded down when it got too dirty to see through. While these first windshields offered some protection against wind and road debris, they were not Continue reading “Little-Known History of the Car Windshield”