Milton Othello Reeves was an American inventor and early automobile builder, born on a farm in Rush County, Indiana, in 1864 and died in Columbus, Indiana, in 1925. He held more than 100 patents. In 1879, working in a sawmill in Columbus, he invented a variable-speed transmission to control the speed of saw pulleys, and with his brothers he later ran the Reeves Pulley Company, which went on making the transmission until 1955. Interested in motor vehicles, he adapted the transmission to a four-wheeled motocycle in 1896, and is credited with building either the fourth or fifth American automobile. He devised a double muffler, an industry first, patented in 1897, and built early buses. In 1911 he built the eight-wheeled Octo-Auto and in 1912 a six-wheeled Sexto-Auto, neither of which sold. His vehicles were not commercially successful but his transmission and muffler were.
Facts
Defining ContributionEarly American motorcar builder and inventor of a variable-speed transmission and double muffler 1 Connections
Worked In Mode
Source Milton Reeves (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
Nationality
Also in Geography Atlas: the nationality of this subject.
Source Milton Reeves (Wikipedia)Lead, nationalityQuote, Lead, nationality
was an early pioneer of the American automobile industry
Sources
1. Milton Reeves (Wikipedia)
Lead, birth year
Milton Othello Reeves (August 25, 1864, June 4, 1925) was an early pioneer of the American automobile industry.
Lead, death year
Milton Othello Reeves (August 25, 1864, June 4, 1925) was an early pioneer of the American automobile industry.
Lead, nationality
was an early pioneer of the American automobile industry
Lead, defining contribution
Reeves is credited as building either the fourth or fifth American automobile, called at the time a motocycle.
In Group: Automotive Inventors, Lead, role
Reeves is credited as building either the fourth or fifth American automobile, called at the time a motocycle.
Worked In Mode: Automobile Transport, Lead, mode worked in
Reeves is credited as building either the fourth or fifth American automobile, called at the time a motocycle.
View the SourceReader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.