February 10: Ralph Nader brings auto safety crusade to Congress on this date in 1966

That a Senate committee in the midst of a year-long train of hearings would want to hear from a young lawyer about auto safety wasn't front-page news on this date in 1966. Ralph Nader had received some positive notice for his book "Unsafe At Any Speed," and his aggressive criticisms of automakers had spurred some stories and played well to lawmakers, but there was no popular groundswell toward safer vehicles. What Nader soon came to realize was that his efforts had been noticed by General Motors, which was deeply concerned that someone had gone to the trouble of reviewing the more than 100 lawsuits pending over the Chevy Corvair's design. GM hired a former FBI agent to dig for dirt on Nader, sending more than 60 agents to tail him, question friends and family and even have women try to ensnare him in public. The spies' mandate:

When reporters revealed GM's snooping, it enraged Congress and put a spotlight on Nader's arguments far greater than Nader himself could ever muster. Two months later, GM President James Roche would have to apologize to the same committee: "It will not be our policy in the future to undertake investigation of those who speak or write critically of our products." Two months after that, President Lyndon B. Johnson would sign the first laws mandating safer vehicles.