At its best, The United States of America brings inspiration and innovation to the rest of the world. Nowhere is this more apparent and vibrant than when it comes to the automobile.

The automobile was not invented in America or by Americans. But the idea of an automobile being quick to produce and affordable by all was hatched by one of the greatest Americans, Henry Ford. It was Ford who proliferated the use of assembly lines to achieve mass production and drive down cost, thus making the automobiles widely affordable.

This would change everything.

No longer harnessed and restrained by the sluggish speed of horse and carriage, or by the rigid schedule of the railroads, Americans could experience their state and country in a way never before possible. Some might argue that once we could more easily venture beyond our cities and towns we lost that sense of bonding that held our communities together. While there is perhaps some truth to that idea, it's undeniable that the convenience of mobility now allowed our country to bloom into something much grander.

The automobile allowed the United States of America to, in effect, experience itself in a way it never before had.

States would become more than just places on a map. Families could travel and see beyond their own immediate borders. Residents of Kansas could finally discover what a beach was. The Grand Canyon an iconic destination. Yellowstone National Park a treasure trove of natural beauty all to see and experience.

America became obsessed with cars. Every first world nation seems to develop its own culture and community centered on cars, but there's always been something unique about the car culture fostered in America. Nowhere else will you find hot rods, muscle and custom kits that manage to blow everything else off the road. Sure, Italy and Germany and Japan have their own sleek, meticulously tuned cars that are marvels of engineering. But there's something truly awe-inspiring about a big-block V8 engine that growls and howls in a way that nothing else on four wheels can.

And of course, let's not forget the most American of inventions: the pickup truck. Truly only Americans could come up with something like the pickup. They're big, loud, not exactly subtle, and often far from practical. But they get the job done and in a way that nothing else can. If that's not the epitome of America, what is?