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Informationen zum Autor R.K. Keating had a long career developing workforce and economic development policy. His previous book was on Robert M. Keating, the pioneer of bicycles, motorcycles and automobiles. He lives in New Hampshire. Klappentext Robert M. Keating's story is America's story. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1862 to poor Irish immigrants, he was just 13 when his father died suddenly. A precocious boy with a knack for mechanics, Keating filed his first patent at 22, started his own bicycle company at 28, and at 32 was producing one of the most innovative bicycle lines in the world in a state-of-the-art factory. Along the way he flirted with baseball, briefly playing in the major leagues and patenting the game's rubberized home plate. In early 1901 Keating developed and marketed a ground-breaking motorcycle before either Indian or Harley-Davidson, and later successfully sued both companies for patent infringement. His company also manufactured automobiles beginning in 1898, producing both electric and gasoline powered vehicles. At the time of his death at 59, Keating held 49 patents--everything from bicycle and motorcycle designs to lunch-chairs to a modern flushing device for toilets. This book tells the story of Keating and his Keating Wheel Company, a Gilded Age story of unbridled inventiveness that encapsulates America's transformation into a society that would forever move on wheels. Zusammenfassung "Robert M. Keating at 32 was producing one of the most innovative bicycle lines in the world in a state-of-the-art factory. He developed and marketed a ground-breaking motorcycle before either Indian or Harley-Davidson! and later successfully sued both companies for patent infringement. His company also manufactured automobiles beginning in 1898"--Provided by publisher. Inhaltsverzeichnis Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrefacePrologue: What Hibernicus HeardPart I.¿Beginnings1.¿Wild Irish Roots2.¿The Making of an Engineer3.¿Keating Plays Ball4.¿A First for the Whip CityPart II.¿Holyoke5.¿Marciene Whitcomb and the Keating Bicycle Factory6.¿There's a New Wheel in Town7.¿"See That Curve?"8.¿Charles Dexter Rood9.¿Keating Joins the Show10.¿From a Fad to a Boom11.¿Notions of a Horseless AgePart III.¿Middletown12.¿Ends and Beginnings13.¿A Factory like No Other14.¿"365 Days Ahead of Them All"15.¿Best-Laid Plans16.¿The Saddle King17.¿The Governor18.¿Tactics and Flanking Maneuvers19.¿Changes in the WindPart IV.¿Motors and Mayhem20.¿Keeping Pace21.¿The Royal Blue Express22.¿Matters of Trust23.¿A Trust That Matters24.¿Apple Green, Trimmed in Black25.¿Keating Spins His WheelsPart V.¿Collapse26.¿Garford Makes Demands27.¿Going for the Jugular28.¿The Receiver29.¿Exit Strategy30.¿Milestones and MillstonesPart VI.¿What Might Have Been31.¿From Schemes to Dreams32.¿Claims and Counter Claims33.¿The Motorcycle City34.¿Forward and Reverse35.¿Second Chances36.¿The Light Fades37.¿The Curtain Comes Down in MiddletownPart VII.¿Return to Springfield38.¿Dark Days39.¿Reboot40.¿Taking On the Big Boys41.¿The Bottom of the Ninth42.¿RequiemEpilogueAfterwordAppendicesA:¿The Keating Wheel Company Officers and Members of the Board of DirectorsB:¿Robert M. Keating's Patents, 1884-1920C:¿The Only Original 1901 Keating Motorcycle Known to ExistNotesBibliographyIndex...
