On this day in 1921 George W. Smith was granted the patent for Four-Wheel Drive Mechanism. U.S. Patent No. 1,386,967.
The object of the invention is to provide a vertical and central drive for the front wheels, whereby the latter are free to swing and easy to steer without interfering with the transmission of power thereto. Also the aim is to transmit power to each front wheel at the same rate of speed as it is transmitted to the rear wheels.
Another feature is to provide a brace for each front wheel vertical shaft whereby the latter is held in vertical alinement while the car is in motion and the wheels are moving up and down owing to the unevenness of the road.
