August 1, 1941: The Jeep Is Introduced

An original 1941 Willys MB Jeep

August 1, 1941: The Willys-Overland Motors Company (and that's pronounced "WILL-iss," not "WILL-eez"), under contract from the U.S. Department of War, begins producing the Willys MB, a vehicle that falls under the category that the U.S. Army had named "General Purpose" -- "GP," or "Jeep."

Thus was the Jeep that the world would come to know born. It became known as the vehicle that won World War II. This also begins the production of what would come to be known in civilian life, as sport-utility vehicles, or SUVs.

The Army has produced Jeeps ever since, and used them extensively in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Appearing on William F. Buckley Jr.'s TV show Firing Line in 1968, writer Jack Kerouac, having shown up drunk, and just a year from death, called the Vietnam War a conspiracy between the North Vietnamese and South Vietnamese, whom he called "cousins," to bring more jeeps into the country.

Buckley, famous for his opposition to Communism, smiled and said, "They're not very good partners, are they?" When the laughter stopped, Kerouac got even more laughter, without smiling, by saying, "Well, they've certainly got a lot of jeeps!"

The Jeep marque has been headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, ever since Willys-Overland launched production of the first CJ, or Civilian Jeep, branded models there in 1945. Its replacement, the conceptually consistent Jeep Wrangler series, has remained in production since 1986.

The Chrysler Corporation acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, in 1987, from its previous owner, American Motors Corporation (AMC).

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August 1, 1941 was a Friday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-0 at Yankee Stadium. Lefty Gomez allowed 5 hits and 11 walks, but kept the shutout. Tommy Henrich hit 2 home runs, and Joe DiMaggio went 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh.

* The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Joe Medwick and Dolph Camilli each got 4 hits.

* The Washington Senators beat the Chicago White Sox, 8-2 at Griffith Stadium in Washington.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Boston Braves, 5-1 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-1 in 11 innings at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis.

* The Philadelphia Athletics were supposed to play the Cleveland Indians at Shibe Park, but they moved it to Sunday to get a big doubleheader crowd. The Indians won the opener, 6-3. Bob Feller was the winning pitcher. The A's won the nightcap, 4-3, on Dick Siebert's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 9th.

* And the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers were not scheduled.