Americans did not invent the automobile, but over the last century cars have come to define much of what it means to be an American. A symbol of independence and personal freedom, cars made us mobile, transformed our society and shaped our modern culture. In the latest installment of the Historic Vehicle Association's "How the Automobile Shaped America" series, we take a look at just a few everyday ways cars helped alter our world: drive-through service, road trip books and road trip movies, rock 'n' roll, shopping malls and youth culture.

No other innovation has so quickly altered as many aspects of modern society as the automobile. What started as a plaything for the wealthy quickly became the most ubiquitous piece of technology in American life. Check out how the automobile-inspired innovations and inventions that we now see and enjoy in everyday life. The Historic Vehicle Association investigates the automobile's impact on alternative power, vulcanized rubber, communications and entertainment.

From the introduction of the automobile up through the dawn of the 21st century, automobiles in America have shaped almost every aspect of our lives. No other innovation has so quickly altered as many aspects of modern society as the car. America is a car culture and you only need look to suburbia to see how integral the automobile is to life as we know it. In the first installment of our “How the Automobile Shaped America” series, we take a look at four ways the car shaped modern suburbs. This month, we take a look at these four topics: the mobile middle class and nuclear family, road development and road infrastructure, the suburban economy, and suburban art and culture.