One way the auto industry eventually claimed the streets of America, which were once primarily for pedestrians:
The popular phrase "America's love affair with the automobile" eventually came along in a TV show called "Merrily We Roll Along" as part of the DuPont Series of the Week in 1961 — a time when DuPont owned a large percent of stock in General Motors. American comedian and actor "Groucho" Marx used the phrase in his narration of the show until it stuck in people's minds.
A couple months ago, Sarah Goodyear looked at how the auto industry invented jaywalking.
The Dish 