MIT engineers develop a system to help autonomous cars determine if there’s a moving object coming around the corner. The cars might one day use the technology to quickly avoid a potential collision with either a car or a pedestrian.
Ford introduces the sporty and powerful Mustang — the automaker's most successful launch since the Model A. The car, despite several transformations to its current sixth generation, remains an American icon.
President Eisenhower authorizes $25 billion for the construction of 41,000 miles of the Interstate Highway System. It was the largest public works project in American history at that time — and enabled motorists to travel coast-to-coast for the first time.
By the end of the decade, one in six working Americans are employed in the automobile industry. Cars inspire new businesses like drive-through restaurants and drive-in movie theaters.