Driver Harold Brinker Standing in the Thomas Flyer, Bakersfield, California, New York to Paris Race, 1908

In 1908, six automobiles raced around the globe from New York City to Paris, France. The contest took 169 days, covered 22,000 miles and spanned three continents. Most towns throughout the United States enthusiastically greeted the cars as they passed through. Where the cars stopped, townspeople crowded around -- or sometimes into -- the vehicles to take part in history in the making.