A question from Yahoo! Answers:

When did vans start being made?

In France, Citroën made them as early as 1947 (pictured below is Citroën Type H):

Volkswagen Type 2 (aka “the Minibus”) was introduced in 1950:

In the U.S., compact vans appeared in 1960s, as U.S. auto makers attempted to create a product to compete with VW Minibus. Early compact vans include Chevy Van, Dodge A100 and first-generation Ford E-Series:

The modern full-size American van, with engine under a short hood, also began in Europe; the first model to feature this design was 1965 Ford Transit produced by Ford in Britain:

By 1968, Ford redesigned its U.S.-made E-Series along similar lines:

Chrysler followed with Dodge B-series in 1971, GM, with Vandura in 1970…

(All images courtesy of Wikipedia.)