June 28, 2025
June 26, 1906 – The inaugural French Grand Prix took place June 26, 1906, at Le Mans. Organized by the Automobile Club de France, this was the first official motor-racing Grand Prix, setting a precedent for modern Formula racing. ----- June 25, 1956 – Last true Packard rolls off the line. On June 25, 1956, the iconic Packard Motor Car Company produced its final “true” Packard at Detroit’s Connor Avenue plant. ----- June 27, 1957 – Illinois enacts first U.S. seatbelt lawIllinois became the first U.S. state to mandate the use of seat belts on cars on June 27, 1957. While compliance was initially low, the law established a crucial legal and cultural precedent. ----- 4… June 24, 1966 – June 24, 1966, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (76–0), empowering federal regulation of vehicle safety standards. Spurred by safety advocate Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed (1965), this law mandated dashboards, seat belts, and crash testing. -----…