ncept car of the 1950s. It was powered not by the normal combustion engine but by a gas turbine engine. It also featured a dual cockpit design and was controlled by joystick controller instead of the normal steering wheel. Another element that was seen in the 1950s were the tail-fins present on most Cadillacs. The first Cadillac that had the tail fin was introduced in October, 1947. These fins were supposed to give cars a look of high-speed stability. The fins were inspired the P-38 war plane. The caddy tail fins continued to grow until they reached there height in 1959 when they were almost as tail as the car itself. As the number of automobiles increased so did the number of road trips that people were going on. All of the traveling motorists needed places to stay. This brought about the development of the motel. Motel combines the words motorist and hotel. By the mid 1950s the smaller quaint motor lodges of the 30s and 40s no longer could compete with rising motel corporations like Howard Johnson or Best Western. These corporations designed their motels to be comfortable and practical for those staying in them. They also built them with a standard design. The catchy facades of the older motels were no longer attracting the customers. Motels also started franchising and referral chains. A referral chain would consist of several motels that form a union and refer customers to the other hotels in the union. Some large franchises that started in the 1950s were Super 8 and Holiday Inn. These franchises soon spread out all over the country and put the smaller mom and pop motels out of business. With the number of road trips increasing the destinations that they were traveling to were also bringing in more people. These destinations included national parks, family camps, wilderness areas such as the beach and the mountains, and to large cities such as Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Remote national parks were finally able ...
