Hump Day History

 

On this day in 1933, architect/engineer Buckminster Fuller, unveiled his Dymaxion Car #1.

A made-up word combining dynamic, maximum and ion, it was the first three-wheeled, multi-directional vehicle.  Fuller lived his life with the intent of experimenting and contributing to "changing the world and benefiting all humanity."

The sketches began in 1927 and included wings that could inflate.  Production began in early 1933, using a steel chassis and a body made of ash wood, covered with an aluminum skin and topped with a painted canvas roof.  It was designed to reach a speed of 120mph and average 28 miles per gallon.

Fuller sold the car to Gulf Oil, and it was put on display at the Century of Progress expo in Chicago.

However, in October professional driver Francis Turner was killed when the Dymaxion turned over during a demonstration.  The vehicle was cleared, but investors were concerned.

Fuller also created a Dymaxion house, which used tension suspension from a central column, and sold for the price of a Cadillac.  It could be shipped worldwide in its own metal tube.  

It was environmentally efficient, heated and cooled by natural means, and made its own power.  The floorplan could be changed by squeezing the bedrooms, for example, to make a bigger living room.  Downdraft ventilation drew dust to the baseboards and through filters, lessening the need to vacuum and dust.

Fuller was hesitant about commercialization, demanding more time for research and development, to the point where investors pulled out, and the dream was lost.