Everything Has A History... And A Timeline (Including Glass)
Histowiki Presents: Timeline History of the Auto Glass Industry.
The auto glass industry has expanded from its humble origins in 1913, when a very basic windshield was first installed in assembly-line vehicles, to a global sector with annual sales of $19 billion.
Windshields shelter vehicle occupants from wind and flying debris like dust, insects, and rocks, and provide an aerodynamically curved front glass. Applying a UV coating provides protection against UV radiation. However, this is typically unneeded because the majority of automobile windows are composed of laminated safety glass.
Two European inventors, the Frenchman Edouard Benedictus and the Englishman John C. Wood, invented glass lamination. Benedictus, a gifted artist, author, composer, bookbinder, textile designer, and scientist, made a chance discovery in his laboratory. In 1903, he allegedly dropped a beaker, and his lab assistant, believing it to be clean, put it back on the shelf. Later, when ascending a ladder, Benedictus collided with the shelf, causing the beaker to tumble back to the floor. It fractured, but its pieces remained intact. The remaining cellulose nitrate, a transparent liquid plastic, had hardened and prevented the glass from shattering. Benedictus invented safety glass, which consisted of two layers of glass sheets separated by a cellulose layer, and planned to encourage its use in automobiles.
1903
Two European inventors developed glass laminating, Frenchman Edouard Benedictus and Briton John C. Wood. Benedictus dropped a beaker and his lab assistant, thinking it clean, put it back on the shelf. Later as Benedictus climbed a ladder, he bumped that shelf, once again sending the flask to the floor. It broke — but its pieces held together. Cellulose nitrate, a clear liquid plastic left in the beaker, had dried and kept the glass from breaking into shards. After experimenting further Benedictus developed safety glass, two layers of plate glass with a layer of cellulose between them, and he hoped to promote its use in automobiles
1911
Triplex glass laminating , however, had been available for windshields in France from 1911 and in Britain from 1912;
1919
Henry Ford begins the standardized use of laminated glass on all of his manufactured vehicles.
1927
The Ford Motor Company began using Triplex in its cars in 1927. The Lincoln Motor Company began supplying police vehicles with bulletproof glass.
1966
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was founded. Among other responsibilities, the NHTSA sets safety standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment.
2000
First Advanced driver-assistance systems windshield issued as standard feature on a mass market targeted vehicle, the 2000 Cadillac Deville, which introduced the Night Vision feature
2020
The automotive glass market was valued at USD 19 billion
2021
Smart glass options rapidly adopted by car manufacturers in the production of sun and moon roofs.
Read the whole timeline at link below
Originally Published Here: https://histowiki.com/history/3267/timeline-history-auto-glass-industry/