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Article: Ransom's roots and a rocky road: early days of the founder and his fledgling company. (Ransom Olds)(100 Years of Oldsmobile)
- Article from:
- Automotive News
- Article date:
- August 18, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 Crain Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Charles Dickens' opening lines in A Tale of Two Cities could well have been used to describe the United States in the late 1800s, a period when the nation's automotive pioneers, including Ransom Eli Olds, were born and began their work that would change the course of history.
In some ways, it was the worst of times. Ransom Olds was born June 3, 1864, during the Civil War.
However, the Reconstruction era, which followed the war, represented the best of times with unprecedented opportunities for young inventors, entrepreneurs and explorers. Industrial expansion was rampant. New territories were being explored and settled. The need for communication and ...