History Corner
Pick-up trucks!
They weren't always called that, y'know...
Although pick-up truck styling has been around since the late 1800s, they were known as pick-ups in retrospect only. The first truck to receive the term “pick-up” happened in 1925.
Henry Ford took a runabout (aka “roadster”), removed the tail end, and made available a cargo bed that was added to the car's body. You could buy this cargo bed at a Ford dealer for $25 – almost $500 in today's money.
Since you were picking up the cargo bed from the dealer, this new vehicle became known as a pick-up truck. You could also have the bed sent to you, but you had to pick it up at the train depot – another reason for the terminology.
