• 1938 Previews of Progress

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      Published on 07-22-2010 10:09 AM
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      In between making the 1936 and 1941 "Parade of Progress" vehicles, GMC workers designed and built this streamlined "Previews of Progress" vehicle. It was billed as a 28-foot, ultra-streamlined truck. The vehicle transported the displays and an operating staff of six people. It was built on a GMC chassis and used a Buick engine. Below is an account from Vic Garske.
      "The Previews of Progress was the stage show of the Parade of Progress, which was held inside the Aero-Dome tent. The show was designed to last 45 minutes with two "Paraders" making the presentations. It was also a stand-alone show, taken to schools, colleges, auditoriums, as well as to foreign countries. The stand-alone show was often referred to as the "little caravan" consisting of various devices for demonstration of scientific phenomena, developed by the General Motors Research Laboratories. At one point an "ultra-Streamlined" truck (below) was created to transport the displays. This truck was built on a GMC chassis, with a Buick engine."


      March 1938 News Release
      On March 2, the Public Relations Department of the Corporation will bring General Motors' "Previews of Progress" to Carnegie Hall for a private showing to New York area employees and their families.
      C.F. Kettering, Vice-president of General Motors Corporation in charge of Research, will open the show and introduce E. L. Foss, its Science Commentator and Director. This rolling show, popularly referred to within the organization as the "little caravan," consists of various devices for the demonstration of scientific phenomena, developed by the General Motor Research Laboratories. Its general theme, built upon Mr. Kettering's thesis that the world is not finished, is to dramatize the contributions made to science, to industry and to the average man by the research laboratories of the world where scientific experiments breed the germs of industrial progress.

      As far as scientific devices and demonstrations are concerned, the "little caravan" is a decided mis-nomer, for Previews of Progress actually carries a bigger show than does the master caravan, the Parade of Progress, which dwarfs the Previews in physical proportion.
      Among the amazing scientific demonstrations to be seen on the state of Carnegie Hall will be: that of frying an egg on newspaper without heat; of sending a million volts of electricity crackling across the stage by means of a giant Tesla coil; the transmission of music by means of a light beams; and many others.

      Article permission provided by:
      Don Mayton
      www.futurliner.com
      A Project of the National Automotive and Truck Museum of the United States.
      http://www.natmus.org/