Alright, hope we didn’t over bill it. But I mean, it’s insurance, we had to liven it up somehow. The very first auto insurance policy was sold by Travelers Insurance to Dr. Truman Martin of Buffalo NY in February of 1898. It was very likely to protect his car from accidents involving horses. It’s perhaps impossible to relate the role horses played in daily life at the turn of the 20th century. All transportation seemed measured in equine terminology: you’ve got “iron horse”, the “horseless carriage” and, of course, “horsepower”. You’re listening to Smith and Harper with Insurance Policy Blues, a Melotone record from 1936.
For those who think we’re all fancy with our futuristic electric cars…they were making them in Buffalo in 1900. For more on The Buffalo, click here.