image: Courtesy of Science History Institute

During the 1910 Master Car Builders' and Master Mechanics' Convention in Atlantic City, NJ, weary attendees' wives could ride a vehicle of a different sort. Sponsored by the Dearborn Drug and Chemical Works Co. of Chicago, the No Pay Car was decorated with elaborate foliage and draped with small incandescent lamps. In the early evening, the illuminated conveyance transported only ladies to hotels, cafes, and theaters along the Boardwalk, but as the night wore on, the vehicle expanded its ferrying services to male attendees who had dedicated themselves too fervidly to their revels.