I never thought my strongest area of expertise (vintage automotive
technology) would be useful on BP.

Laminated safety glass dates from the late 1920s. Its first use in a
production car was in the 1928 Model A Ford.  The decision to use it was
made after Harold Hicks, who had greatly improved the new car's performance
at Henry Ford's request (the Model A was one of the hottest cars on the
road in 1928), crashed one on a test drive and was nearly killed (and
severely injured) going through the windshield. The story goes that Henry
had been so pleased with the car he told Hicks to go out and race everyone
in sight, Hicks did so, and Henry ordered the new cars to have safety glass
because he felt responsible for Hicks' accident. 

I have also seen an earlier form of safety glass which had wires embedded
in it for the same purpose, which was to hold the glass together in the
event of breakage. Prior to safety glass, plate glass was used, the same as
in large windows in buildings. Because this broke into long knife-like
pieces, it did a lot of damage to anyone exiting via the windscreen. It
took a number of decades for it to become apparent that it was even better
to keep occupants from hitting the glass at all. In the Model A Fords, all
the windows except the windshield were plate glass (my 1929 Tudor which I
drove in college had its original plate glass windows). I believe it was
possible to have all the windows in your new Model A made of safety glass
at extra cost. Laminated glass is still used in windsheilds on at least
some cars today. I have had replacement flat screens made for old cars, and
that's what they were made of by a local glass shop as recently as 1994,
when I had one made for my 1961 Morgan. 

I first encountered the newer type of glass which breaks into cubes in a
1972 Peugeot we had from new. American authorities for many years required
the laminated glass and took a while to accept the new type. Its principle
is to break apart so rapidly that someone hitting the glass won't be
injured by it. Unfortunately this also makes breaking & entering much
easier, since a sharp blow to the glass with a hard object shatters the
entire window. 

It is interesting that David considers the laminated glass newer while I
considered the glass which breaks into cubes newer, as it suggests an
exchange of technology between American car companies and European (or
Euro-influenced) ones. Just as they now have catastrophic converters and
air bags. 

Of course, as the foregoing demonstrates, all antique cars are equipped
with a driver's side windbag! 

Don White