In 2005, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) will commemorate a century of mobility engineering as the centerpiece of its 100th anniversary celebration. From humble beginnings serving a few automobile design engineers in 1905, SAE has grown to represent aerospace, off-highway machinery, and motorsports engineers.
The history of SAE dates back to the early 1900s, when automobile design engineers began to feel a need for patent protection and uniform engineering standards, and expressed a desire for a “free exchange of ideas” to expand their technical knowledge base. Around the same time, two editors — Peter Heldt of The Horseless Age and Horace Swetland of The Automobile — used their editorial columns to advocate the need for such a technical society. The voice of these two men paved the way for the establishment of the Society of Automobile Engineers in New York City in 1905.
Andrew Riker was chosen as president and a young engineer, Henry Ford, was its vice-president. The initial membership was 30 engineers, and the annual dues were $10. In 1916, with Orville Wright a leading proponent, the group expanded to include the aerospace industry and changed its name to the Society of Automotive Engineers (“automotive” from Greek “autos” [self] and Latin “motivus” [of motion]) to represent any type of self-powered vehicle.
Initially, SAE's main role was development of standards for the automobile, aerospace, and commercial/heavy-duty communities. The introduction of the standards went hand-in-hand with major technological advancements during both World Wars. After World War II, SAE's emphasis shifted from a merely standards-setting organization to a forum for information exchange and, in 1947, led to an annual educational and exhibit event, now known as the SAE World Congress. Membership grew at a fast pace in the next couple of decades, and SAE expanded into an international organization with affiliates in the United Kingdom, Brazil, and India.
SAE has a growing membership of 85,000 from all corners of the mobility industry and is committed to providing them with the tools to pursue life-long learning, consensus industry standards, and membership in a global network of technically informed professionals. To date, the organization has developed more than 7,500 standards, of which more than 6,000 are in aerospace. It publishes technical, historical, and statistical materials in print and on CD.