Before the freedom of the open road, how did people get around? In the premiere episode of Crankshaft Chronicles, we travel back to a world without cars—a world limited by the speed of a horse and terrified by the alternative: massive, road-destroying steam carriages that could explode at any moment. Host Mak sets the stage for the entire series by exploring the problem that sparked one of history's greatest inventions. This is the story of the need, the failures, and the global challenge that was waiting for a solution.