Where this was said
Horatio Nelson Jackson: The Man Behind the Bet
At 17:35 · chapter starts 16:00
The star of the story is Horatio Nelson Jackson: a doctor who contracted tuberculosis, gave up medicine, married the wealthy Bertha Richardson Wells (whose New England family made their money in celery compounds), and settled into a life of comfortable adventure. By 1903 he was a devoted car enthusiast and collector. At the University Club of San Francisco, when fellow members dismissed automobiles as useless, Jackson defended their honor with a $50 wager — worth about $1,500 at the time — that he could drive from San Francisco to New York in under 90 days [1] — Josh "$50 bet sparked the road trip: Horatio Nelson Jackson wagered $50 (about $1,500 in 1903 value) at the University Club of San Francisco that…" 16:08 . The bet was accepted on the spot. Four days later he was on the road, having only just purchased the car. His wife, whom he addressed in letters as 'My dearest Swipes,' took a train to Burlington and wished him well. The letters home, voiced in the documentary by Tom Hanks, paint a picture of a warm, loving couple — and a man who approached the whole enterprise with infectious good cheer.
Horatio Nelson Jackson wagered $50 (about $1,500 in 1903 value) at the University Club of San Francisco that he could drive coast to coast in under 90 days.
Jackson put the entire transcontinental road trip together in just 4 days, including buying the car, and set out with no corporate sponsor or support team.
Jackson paid roughly $3,000 in 1903 dollars (equivalent to about $100,000 today) for the used 1903 Winton touring car, which was the only one available.
The 1903 Winton touring car had 20 horsepower — two fewer than a modern John Deere riding mower. No windshield, no roof, no doors, topped out at 30 mph, and was essentially a tub on wheels that Jackson drove across a continent.
