A Film Story of the General Motors Parade of Progress

The "Parade of Progress" was a traveling roadshow and exhibition organized by General Motors (GM). The showcase featured a convoy of futuristic vehicles, exhibits, and displays highlighting the latest technological innovations in transportation and industry. The main purpose of the Parade of Progress was to promote the advancements made by GM in automotive design, engineering, and technology. It aimed to captivate audiences throughout North America, with a vision of the future, showcasing innovative concepts and cutting-edge technology that GM was developing.

The man who sparked General Motors' original 1936 Parade of Progress was none other than Charles F. Kettering. Charles Kettering, Vice President and Director of Research at GM, was the man behind such inventions as the first commercial electric self-starter, Ethyl gasoline, and the diesel-electric locomotive, to name a few. The original Parade of Progress took to the road in 1936 in Lakeland, Florida, and it was far from today's streamlined version, but its purpose was identical. From 1936 to December 1941, the caravan played to audiences of more than 12 million people in 251 cities. In 1940, more programming was added to the original show and the Parade's first big-top-style tent, was replaced with a unique structure, the Aer-O-Dome tent, specifically designed by GM. Crowds stood and listened intently to the young lecturers as they taught basic principles of physics and chemistry, under such titles as "World of Science," and "Miracles of Heat and Cold." The Parade of Progress continued to tour until the mid-1950s.

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