Vintage photos show what it was like to work in a US car factory a century ago

• Gas-powered automobiles were first invented in Europe in the late 1800s.
• But factories and mass-production techniques soon allowed the US to dominate the car industry.
• Photos from 100 years ago show innovations at factories, and what it was like to work in one.

Germany's Karl Benz invented the first gas-powered car with a combustion engine in 1885, and he began selling it soon after. In the first decade of the 20th century, manufacturers turned their focus to creating vehicles that were cheaper to make and sell.