During the summer of 1919, a United States Army Major was assigned to a transcontinental convoy to test the ability of the Army to traverse the country, from Washington, D. C. to San Francisco.

There was no interstate in those days, so the trip took 62 days with the convoy averaging 52 miles a day. Along the way, the road was chockablock with potholes, the convoy became trapped under low bridges, and, on too many occasions, had to dig its way out of more than a few ditches.

The trip convinced the Major that an interstate highway system was necessary. So he did something about it.  His name was Dwight David Eisenhower.