April 13, 1925
Elwood Haynes died in Kokomo, Indiana, at the age of 67. Haynes, the founder of the Haynes Automobile Company, led a remarkable life that began in Portland, Indiana. The son of pioneer farmers Judge Jacob and Hillinda Haynes, Elwood thirsted for education at an early age. He eventually received degrees in engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and from Johns Hopkins. He returned to Portland to become a high school teacher in his subjects. His career and life turned around as the result of the discovery of vast natural gas deposits near Portland. Forever curious, Haynes familiarized himself with natural gas containment and piping methods. He became the architect for the Indiana Natural Gas Company's pipe network that provided most of Chicago with natural gas. Haynes was the first man to suggest that natural gas should be dehydrated before it was piped, a principle still in use today. From his laboratory at the Indiana Natural Gas Company, Haynes began tinkering with internal combustion engines. He completed his first car in 1894, one year after Charles Duryea is credited with having built the first American car. Such was the dissemination of information at the time that Haynes, even until his death, was credited with building the first American car. After creating his prototype, Haynes started his own car company, which he ran for nearly three decades. He is credited with a number of automotive innovations, including the rotary engine. But Haynes' greatest achievements came as a metallurgist. He was the first American to pioneer the oxidization of steel and the use of chromium to retard nature's oxidization process. He eventually received a U.S. patent for "stainless steel," although the invention first surfaced in England under the name "rustless iron."
April 13, 1931
Daniel Sexton Gurney, an American racing driver was born in Port Jefferson, New York. Gurney is the first driver to win races in Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy Car (1967). The other two are Mario Andretti and Juan Pablo Montoya.
April 13, 1956
Peter Raymond George "Possum" Bourne, a three time APRC rally champion was born in in Pukekohe, Auckland. He died tragically under non-competitive circumstances while driving on a public road, that was to be the track for an upcoming race.
Bourne was best known for his exploits behind the wheel of Subaru, initially the RX, the turbocharged version of the Leone, then the Legacy. But it would be the Impreza WRX that he would become most associated with, driving for the Prodrive Subaru World Rally Team in Rally New Zealand, Australia and also in Indonesia, partnered by Kenneth Eriksson in the mid 1990s, before going on to win multiple Australian titles with his own team.
Subaru Japan even awarded him a black limited edition STi version of the Impreza for personal use.
April 13, 1974
Darren Turner, an English racing driver was born in Reading, Berkshire. He was McLaren Autosport BRDC Young Driver of the Year in 1996. He was also a former test driver for the McLaren Formula One team, but has raced primarily in touring cars and sportscars since 2000.
A 1916 Haynes on display at the Central Texas Museum of Automotive History.
Dan Gurney
Possum Bourne
Darren Turner in his SEAT at the Oulton Park round of the 2007 British Touring Car Championship.
Source:
The History Channel
Wikipedia