To the best of my knowledge there was no Mr. Asphalt. Nor was there a Mr. Blacktop. But there was a Mr. John Loudon McAdam and he was born on this day in Ayr, Scotland in 1756. And he’s the one who developed the process of covering roads with a layer of crushed stone to improve their durability and improve the ride. You see up until that time people riding in carriages, coaches, and wagons were subjected to jolting, rocking, and even bodily injury caused by the deterioration of the road.
We’ve come a long way since then. Our roads are macadamized. And we have machines (called automobiles) to jolt us, rock us, and cause us severe bodily harm. That’s progress for you.
