Where was the first motorized ambulance introduced?

In February of 1899, 500 wealthy Chicago businesspersons bought and purchased the first ambulance powered by motor. Although the automobile was in development late in the 19th Century, not all early motorized vehicles were propelled by gasoline alone; some were steam- and electricity-powered. This ambulance was built onto an automobile powered by two 1.5 kilowatt motors on the rear axle. So was the one introduced to New Yorkers in 1900.

The Palliser Ambulance, named for Captain John Palliser of the Canadian Militia, was the first gasoline-powered ambulance. First produced in 1905, it had one wheel in the front and two in the back and, designed to be used in combat conditions, was constructed on a heavy tractor and encased in steel sheets, as defense against bullets. That same year, the British Army bought a fleet of Straker-Squire ambulances built onto double-decker buses.

In 1909, Rochester, New York’s James Cunningham & Sons Company—makers of hearses and carriages—offered the Model 774 Automobile Ambulance, the first of its kind that was mass-produced. It used a 24 kW (32-horsepower), four-cylinder internal combustion engine, with pneumatic tires, electric lights, and a gong mounted on the side.

The concept of transporting the sick and injured for treatment is ancient. The Anglo-Saxons used a cart with a hammock to transport patients with leprosy or mental health problems as early as 950 AD.