This is Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. Their stories sound like installments from Ripley's Believe it or Not. Who were they? The founders of early automobile companies. In the first part of the 20th century, automobiles were the latest thing. Hundreds of individuals and companies wanted to get in on the game. Sears, Roebuck, an international harvester, made automobiles. So did Pullman, famous for its railroad passenger cars. Grinnell Brothers, which made pianos and washing machine manufacturer Maytag. Machinists John and Horace Dodge made a fortune in the automobile business. But they were so crude and uncouth that most of Detroit's social elite shunned them. When the Dodge brothers hosted a party at Detroit's Book Cadillac Hotel to announce the production of their first car, John Dodge jumped on the banquet tables. He walked up and down, smashing all the light bulbs in the chandeliers with his cane. He and Horace would often visit seedy Detroit bars, break the furniture and come back the next day to pay for damages. Joseph Cole founded the Cole Motor Company in Indianapolis in 1909 and made automobiles until the mid-1920s. It somehow never occurred to him to outfit his first car with brakes. Unable to stop, Cole drove in circles around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in downtown Indianapolis until he ran out of gas. Many of the early companies were severely under capitalized. Their founders sometimes resorted to shady means of raising money to mass produce automobiles. The Dragon Motor Company of Detroit built 200 automobiles and hid them in a Philadelphia warehouse as collateral for a loan. Car dealers later returned them due to defects. Landlords sued for back rent. Employees demanded unpaid wages and engine manufacturers went unpaid. Dragon went bankrupt in 1908. Scottish born David Buick began manufacturing automobiles in 1899. His automobile, however, took so long to build that he lost the funding from his investors Benjamin and Frank Briscoe, who shifted their money to the Maxwell Motor Company. Billy Durant acquired their stock and used Buick in founding General Motors. David Buick lost all of his money in a series of bad investments and ended up working night shifts at the Detroit Board of Trade's information desk. He died almost penniless. Despite their many failures, independent car companies made many innovations and contributions that live on in the automobiles of today. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.or.