Greensburg, IN—This week in Indiana history, on January 12, 1874, Carl Fisher, an entrepreneur who helped make automobiles a viable form of transportation, was born in Greensburg. He co-founded the Prest-O-Lite Co. in 1904, which developed acetylene gas vehicle headlights distributed nationwide.
He was co-founder and president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, site of the annual 500-mile race and testing ground for new automobile technology. Fisher was a proponent of the Good Roads Movement to expand and improve the nation’s road networks. He advocated the construction of U.S. transcontinental roads, which enabled long-distance travel by automobile. He also developed Miami Beach into a major resort destination.
