Times Square was the starting point for the Great Auto Race in 1908.

The steam locomotive and internal-combustion engine laid to rest what was left of the pioneer spirit of the Old West, but new transportations demanded new pioneers. Automobiles may have been a novel thing in 1908, but their drivers weren’t a timid breed. On February 12th of that year, six cars representing four nations (America, Germany, Italy and France) lined up in Times Square for the start of a treacherous competition that famously became known as the Great Auto Race.

Before this race, no car had ever crossed the U.S. during winter. And when the autos reached the end of the course in one continent, they were transported by ship for the next leg overseas. (Only three teams actually completed the transcontinental competition.) The winner was (spoiler alert) the Thomas Flyer crew from the United States. But the real victor was the automobile itself. The event, which was co-sponsored by the New York Times and Le Matin, received international press and cars began to be viewed favorably on a world stage.