Stanley Steamers
At the turn of the century (no, the one before that), two competing technologies jockeyed for the lead in a race for dominance in a new, emerging product market. The battle was over horseless carriages, and whether steam power or the gasoline-powered internal combustion engine should drive them. The Stanley twins of Massachusetts were major players in the field, building their first light steam car in 1897. Their "Stanley Steamers" enjoyed brisk sales, with good reason. Steam cars offered many benefits over gasoline-powered cars, including mechanical simplicity, better reliability and power, and the ability to run on virtually any fuel, including coal, kerosene, natural gas, or even wood.

And yet, even with strong early technology, by 1915, steam cars were clearly losing the race to their gasoline counterparts. A key reason for the change was the emergence of the Ford Model T in 1908. The Model T's success came not from technological superiority but in how it was made; Ford invented mass production techniques to create Model T's cheaply, while Stanley Steamers remained crafted one at a time by hand. Because Model T's were so affordable, they were sold in great numbers, making them, and their gasoline-powered engines, the "defacto" standard of the day. This market dominance nurtured the growth of a nationwide network of supporting gas stations, further solidifying gasoline's lead over steam. More importantly, the increased momentum accelerated research in gasoline-based technology, so that even the early advantages steam power held were eventually surpassed in the following years.

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