Editing Alexandre Darracq (section)

==Sewing machines and cycles==
Born '''Pierre Alexandre Darracq''' in [[Bordeaux]], France, of [[Basque people|Basque]] parents, he trained as a draftsman at the Arsenal in [[Tarbes]], in the [[Hautes-Pyrénées]] département.  He later worked at the [[Hurtu]] factory manufacturing sewing machines. Darracq designed a machine that won a gold medal at the [[1889 Paris exhibition]].<ref name="world">{{Cite encyclopedia| author= Wise, David Burgess| title = A Motor Enthusiast Who Hated Driving | encyclopedia = The World of Automobiles | volume = 5 | pages = 493–494 | publisher = [[Orbis Publishing]] | year = 1974}}</ref> He established the [[Gladiator Cycle Company]] in 1891. He sold his very successful company in 1896 for a substantial amount<ref name="world"/> and for a short time went into the business of manufacturing electric cars as well as acquiring an interest in [[rotary engine]]d [[Millet motorcycle]]s.<ref name="world"/>