An automobile is a wheeled passenger vehicle that carries its own motor. Different types of automobiles include cars, buses, trucks, and vans. Some include motorcycles in the category, but cars are the most typical automobiles. The term automobile is derived from Greek auto- ("self") and Latin mobilis ("movable"), referring to the fact that it "moves by itself". Earlier terms for automobile include motorwagen, and horseless carriage. Although the term "car" is presumed to be derived through the shortening of the term "carriage", the word has its origin before 1300 A.D. in English as, "carr"—derived from similar words in French and much earlier Greek words—for a vehicle that moves, especially on wheels, that was applied to chariots, small carts, and later—to carriages that carried more people and larger loads. As of 2005 there were 600 million cars worldwide (93 cars per 1,000 persons) .

The automobile was thought of as an environmental improvement over horses when it was first introduced in the 1880s. Before its introduction, in New York City alone, more than 1,800 tons of manure had to be removed from the streets daily, although the manure was used as natural fertilizer for crops and to build top soil. In 2006, the automobile is recognized as one of the primary sources of world-wide air pollution and a cause of substantial noise pollution and adverse health effects.

History

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NPR Topics: Economy

Boeing Breaks Ground In S.C.
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500
For the first time in the company's history, Boeing will manufacture a commercial jet in a state other than Washington. The company broke ground Friday for a new factory in South Carolina, where it plans to manufacture its long-delayed 787 passenger plane. Boeing was lured to the south by a generous state incentive package, and by South Carolina's right-to-work law, which makes it less likely its employees will be unionized.
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Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:50:00 -0500
Jobless rates rose in 29 states and the District of Columbia in October, the Labor Department reported. Rates declined in 13 states and were unchanged in eight.
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