Congratulations on Road Transport Workers Day (Motorist Day) →

In many countries, the car has become an integral part of social life, and the relatively young profession of “driver” is one of the most common In Russia, road transport workers have their own holiday, emphasizing respect for this profession - the last Sunday in October Motorist Day was officially established in 1976, and later confirmed by additional government decrees With the collapse of the USSR, the holiday was preserved unchanged only in Belarus; in other CIS countries it was modified or completely abolished Today in the Russian Federation this is not only a professional holiday - it also unites amateurs, ordinary people, true fans of the automotive world, passionate about the history of the development of the automotive industry The self-propelled carriages that appeared at the end of the 19th century were considered amusing curiosities And even now they will seem like that to a modern person In Germany, they managed to preserve an outstanding example of 1885, designed by K Benz Another name without which it is impossible to consider the history of the car is the German designer G Daimler It was he who proposed 4 wheels instead of a 3-wheel model The first self-propelled cars did not even have a steering wheel, and its functions were performed by a lever The patents received by the inventors in time forever secured their status as the founders of this land transport, and the company they founded, Daimler-Benz (although now it has a different name) produces the famous Mercedes Russian craftsmen did not have time to receive the laurels of their creators The first domestic ancestor of the car was designed in the spring of 1896 by E Yakovlev and P Frese The unit with a 2 horsepower motor was presented at the Novgorod industrial exhibition, and although it has not been preserved, there is a copy in the museum France mastered the first more mass production in the world The origin of the word “chauffeur”, which took root in the Soviet Union, is interesting It comes from the French language, in which it itself became a symbol of scientific discoveries at the end of the 19th century The literal translation "stoker" refers to the steam engine, when coal and firewood were used It was necessary to have a fair amount of dexterity in the process of planting and management France also has another achievement - the first automobile race took place from Paris to Rouen in 1894 Already at the dawn of the automobile industry, each manufacturer tried to prove that its copy was the best 102 samples took part in the first races Peugeot set a record of that time - 20 km/h Mass domestic production has its own history and dates back to 1932, when the first car was released from the assembly line at the Gorky Automobile Plant (not without the participation of another legend of the automotive industry - the Ford company) At first our cars were copies of American ones, but then they acquired their own identity, taking into account local realities For a long time, a private car was considered a luxury - in the Soviet Union it was such for a long time, until the end of the 70s, because the bulk of the products produced were trucks The car left a significant mark during the Second World War - for example, the GAZ-MM, nicknamed the “lorry” It accounted for up to half of the fleet of all cars, and it was the “lorry” that most often walked along the blockade “Road of Life” Therefore, on Motorist Day, front-line drivers who transported strategic cargo and the wounded are not forgotten Flowers are laid at the monuments to motorist soldiers Today, anyone who wants to take part in the holiday will be surprised by the number of events organized for this occasion, especially in large cities They are satisfied not only by local authorities and activists - large dealers of some popular brands are actively involved Car rallies to significant places, flash mobs, quests, competitions in driving skills - participants or spectators will not be bored This holiday is far from formal: it can provide a good, positive mood even to those who have no professional connection to it