FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2022-210 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (November 28, 2022) – In Issue 2022-210 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we celebrate the return of Fun with Maps with a lesson about the first road race with automobiles.

Speed Demons

The first car race in the US took place on November 28, 1895.

It was an open road race among six entrants, and it was sponsored by the Chicago Times Herald.  They raced from Chicago’s Jackson Park to Evanston and back.

The racers had to deal with snow during the race.  The total distance was 54 miles, and the average speed of the winner was 7 miles per hour.

Compare that to a modern-day road race, like the Monaco Grand Prix, whose course is 2.1 miles of Monaco streets, lapped 78 times with a typical winning speed of 136 miles per hour.

Mitchell’s 1876 map of the Windy City is shown here.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.