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In the spring of 1903, on a whim and a fifty-dollar bet, Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson set off from San Francisco in a 20-horsepower Winton touring car hoping to become the first person to cross the United States in the new-fangled "horseless carriage." Most people doubted that the automobile had much of a future. Jackson's trip would prove them wrong.

Watch • 1:57
Horatio's Drive
Bud
Horatio and his driver added a third member to the team, a young bulldog.
Clip: S1 | 1:57
Watch • 4:18
Horatio's Drive
Cleveland
Horatio Jackson refused support from the Winton Company.
Clip: S1 | 4:18
Watch • 2:21
Horatio's Drive
Archer, Wyoming
Horatio was stuck in Archer, WY waiting for parts.
Clip: S1 | 2:21
Funding Provided By: General Motors Corporation;Public Broadcasting Service; Corporation for Public Broadcasting; The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations;Park Foundation
Latest Episodes
Watch • 1:46:46
Horatio's Drive
Horatio's Drive
Dr. Horatio Nelson Jackson became the first person to drive across the continent.
Episode: S1 E1 | 1:46:46
Extras
Watch • 1:46
Horatio's Drive
San Francisco
Horatio started out in San Francisco on the first American road trip.
Clip: S1 | 1:46
Watch • 4:09
Horatio's Drive
New York
They drove into Manhattan at 4:30 in the morning.
Clip: S1 | 4:09
Watch • 1:50
Horatio's Drive
Mt. Shasta
Horatio drove through beautiful countryside in Northern California.
Clip: S1 | 1:50
Watch • 3:19
Horatio's Drive
Lost in Wyoming
Horatio got lost in Wyoming.
Clip: S1 | 3:19
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