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On This Day in Automotive History: March 4

On This Day in Automotive History
March 4

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March 3 « Go to » March 5

Birthdays: John Cebula (1889), Joseph W. Frazer (1892), Carl Forberg (1911), Charles Pemberton (1916), Buck Baker (1919), Michel de Bourbon-Parma (1926), John Bekaert (1928), Al Tasnady (1930), Nino Vaccarella (1933), Jimmy Clark (1936), Peter Williamson (1938), Ron Grana (1940), Jerry Kunze (1944), Ray Ratcliff (1944), Greg Weld (1944), Jack Gerber (1945), Gary Ponzini (1945), Ernie Cline (1946), Rick Zemla (1947), Francis Affleck (1950), Gary Myers (1950), Herm Johnson (1953), Brent Hatch (1954), James Weaver (1955), Chris Marsh (1957), Rick Mast (1957), Carlos Palau (1959), Gary Hieber (1960), Todd Nichol (1961), Mike Egan (1963), Pat Tryson (1964), Eddie Abelnica (1965), Trevor Seibert (1967), Billy Putney (1968), Satoshi Motoyama (1971), Sarena Traver (1971), Jos Verstappen (1972), Beric Lynton (1974), Christian Szymczak (1974), Derek DeBoer (1975), Steve Renner (1976), Renaud Derlot (1979), Frederic Greiling (1983), Brandon Wagner (1987), Zachary Gibson (1989), Daniel Lloyd (1992), Bobby Runyan Jr. (1993), John Gustafson (1997), Charles Milesi (2001)

1894: General Roy Stone transmits ORI Bulletin No. 4 to Secretary of Agriculture J. Sterling Morton for release: Road Making Materials in Arkansas by State Geologist John C. Branner. The introduction begins: "The quagmires, ruts, and wrecked wagons that mark our common highways, the reckless waste of the old road system, and the social and commercial isolation that such roads impose upon our people-and especially upon our farmers-during a large part of the winter and spring months must sooner or later convince us that bad roads cost more than good ones."

1911: A.L. Westgard (known as “The Pathfinder”) of the Touring Club of America begins the first transcontinental trip by truck (a 37- horsepower truck called the "Pioneer Freighter"). Director Logan Page has appointed Westgard an OPR Special Agent (unpaid).

1915: The FY 1916 appropriations act for the Agriculture Department combines the Divisions of Drainage and Irrigation (Office of Experiment Stations) and the farm architecture work of the Office of Farm Management Investigations with OPR, which is renamed the Office of Public Roads and Rural Engineering. The change is effective July 1, 1915.

1963: The song “Shut Down” by The Beach Boys was released.

2007: The film The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning was released.

2008: Murder by Death released their album Red of Tooth and Claw, which included the song “'52 Ford.”