There was a time when goggle-wearing drivers were up against the elements, catching dirt, insects, and anything else caught in the wind. The windshield made its first debut in 1904, and over the decades, inventions of folding plates, laminated, bulletproof, tempered, and more began to roll up. We take our windows and windshields for granted, but the automobile’s glass has been a point of creative pride and engineering breakthroughs in and out of the history books.