First Motor Race

Date: July 22, 1894 • Location: Paris, France

Jules-Albert de Dion finished first in the world's first motor race, but did not win as his steam-powered car was against the rules.

Marquis Jules Félix Philippe Albert de Dion de Wandonne was a French pioneer of the automobile industry. He invented a steam-powered car and used it to win the world's first auto race, but his vehicle was adjudged to be against the rules. He was a co-founder of De Dion-Bouton, the world's largest automobile manufacturer for a time, as well as the French sports newspaper L'Équipe.