Our technology, design, and industry has evolved so rapidly that it is often challenging to reconcile the early days of our history with the modern automobile, but perhaps they are not quite so far apart as they would seem on the surface.

Today, in 1944, Bertha Benz died. And anyone who loves cars, knows cars or has ever sat in a car, you should care.

On April 28, 1916, Ferruccio Lamborghini, the madman behind what would become one of history’s most iconic brands ever, was born.

I could tell you that her driving suit and helmet are at The Smithsonian Institute, or that she became one of the first athletes in The Women’s Hall of Fame. I could list a hundred races, speeches and boundaries forever changed by her influence. But I won’t do that. I won’t tally her accomplishments like a grocery list, honoring her checkpoint by checkpoint as a celebration of her many years. That’s not what this is about.

Despite the need for an obvious distance between cars and cups, one of the most important, influential and long-standing elements of the car industry is deeply indebted to the prohibition era and the rum runners who provided America’s degenerates with drink for so long. This week, on February 21, 1948, NASCAR was founded.

This weekend’s Indianapolis 500, the 102nd running of the iconic race, has already produced its share of stories, and we’re still days away from the green flag.

When Jeremy Clarkson was given the sack by the BBC, it resulted in there being two high-concept car-related television programs where previously there had been one. With the benefit of having now seen two series each from The Grand Tour and from Top Gear, we are prepared to declare which one is best.

The New York City International Auto Show has long been the stage for dramatic releases, automotive innovation and exciting foreshadowing for an industry consistently trying to outdoor itself. This year, however, was more 1968 than 1965, more 1959 than 1953, the in-between years we will look back upon as when things were actually happening, rather than when world automakers were saying they did.

What is new today is tech: A truly remarkable percentage of what we saw in New York may have looked like what we have seen before, but were either production-ready or pre-production gas-electric hybrids or full electrics.

Joe Leonard, who died on April 27 at the age of 84, was best known for having made nine consecutive starts at the Indy 500 in the years 1965 - 1973, claiming the 1968 pole position in the STP Turbine, and earning the season-long Indycar championship in both 1971 and 1972.