1864: Ransom ("Ranny") Eli Olds is born to Pliny Fisk and Sarah Olds in Geneva, OH. Pliny is a blacksmith and machine shop operator.

1880: Pliny, Sarah and family move to Lansing, MI.

1883: Ransom Eli Olds goes to work at Olds & Son Foundry. The son in this instance is not R. E., but his older brother Wallace.

1885: Ransom buys his brother's interest in Olds & Son for $1,000.

1887: R. E. Olds builds his first horseless carriage. It is a 3-wheeled, steam powered vehicle.

1893: R. E. Olds becomes the first American automobile exporter. He ships a 4-wheeled, steam powered vehicle to a purchaser in India. The vehicle is never delivered as the ship sinks enroute!

1896: R. E. Olds receives a patent for a "vapor" (gasoline) engine.

1897: R. E. Olds publicly offers for sale his first gas powered vehicle. The asking price is $1,000.00. The Olds Motor Vehicle Company is formed (8/21/1897).

1900: Olds opens Detroit manufacturing facility at 1330 Jefferson Av. The name of Oldsmobile is adopted as a result of R. E. Olds running a "Name the Car" contest, which is won by his timekeeper.

1901: The United States Post Office purchases Curved Dash Oldsmobiles for use as postal delivery vehicles. Olds becomes the first automobile manufacturer to acquire vehicle components from outside suppliers. This was necessitated by the fact the Detroit manufacturing facility was destroyed by fire.

1902: Oldsmobile returns its operations to Lansing, MI.

1903: Oldsmobile takes the Tour de France.

1900 - 1903: Oldsmobile leads all American automobile manufacturers in the number of autos produced.

1904: The first Oldsmobile to have a steering wheel, instead of a tiller rod is manufactured. R. E. Olds retires from Oldsmobile.

1905: R. E. Olds forms the REO Motor Vehicle Co. More REO's are sold than Oldsmobiles in 1905 and 1906.

1908: Oldsmobile becomes a part of General Motors Corporation.

1916: The V-8 engine (an L - head design) is offered by Oldsmobile.

90 (1940)

1924: Olds makes steel wheels available as an option.

1934: Oldsmobile makes hydraulic brakes, independent front wheel suspension and the vent (cozy) wing available for the first time.

1937: Olds presents the motoring public with the "Automatic" Safety Transmission (AST). It required use of a clutch pedal to shift between the low and high ranges.

66 (1940)

1940: The 'shiftless' Hydra-Matic transmission is introduced.

1949: The 303 c.i. Rocket V-8 is introduced. Oldsmobile leads the pack of the Indy 500 for the first time.

Vista Cruiser (1970)

1950 (August 26): Ransom Eli Olds dies.

1955: The first 4 - Door Hardtop is manufactured by Oldsmobile.

1959: Lee Petty and Oldsmobile capture the checkered flag at the first running of the Daytona 500.

Cutlass (1970)

1966: Oldsmobile leads the industry with the introduction of a front-wheeled drive vehicle; the Toronado.

1974: The first air bag appears in an Olds Toronado.

Bravada (1990)

1981: Flexible, rust-resistant body panels are used for the first time by an automobile manufacturer. The Olds Sport Omega came with front fenders formed from two resins reinforced with milled fiberglass. The fenders were painted with flexible acrylic enamel.

1987: A. J. Foyt sets closed course world speed record of 257 M.P.H. in an Oldsmobile Areotech.

1997: Oldsmobile marks its 100th anniversary.