Born on July 30, 1863, near Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford
created the Ford Model T car in 1908 and went on to develop the assembly line
mode of production, which revolutionized the industry. As a result, Ford sold
millions of cars and became a world-famous company head. The company lost its
market dominance but had a lasting impact on other technological development
and U.S. infrastructure.
In 1891 he was hired as an engineer for the Edison
Illuminating Company. In 1893, his natural talents earned him a promotion to
chief engineer.
All the while, Ford developed his plans for a horseless
carriage, and in 1896, he constructed his first model, the Ford Quadricycle.
Within the same year, he attended a meeting with Edison executives and found
himself presenting his automobile plans to Thomas Edison. The lighting genius
encouraged Ford to build a second, better model.
Ford Motor Company
After a few trials building cars and
companies, in 1903, Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company. Ford
introduced the Model T in October of 1908, and for several years, the company
posted 100 percent gains.
However, more than for his profits,
Ford became renowned for his revolutionary vision: the manufacture of an
inexpensive automobile made by skilled workers who earn steady wages.
In 1914, he sponsored the
development of the moving assembly line technique of mass production.
Simultaneously, he introduced the $5-per-day wage ($110 in 2011) as a method of
keeping the best workers loyal to his company. Simple to drive and cheap to
repair, half of all cars in America in 1918 were Model T's
The mass production
techniques Henry Ford championed eventually allowed Ford Motor Company to turn
out one Model T every 24 seconds.
Edsel Ford died in 1943, and Henry Ford returned to the
presidency of Ford Motor Company briefly before handing it over to his
grandson, Henry Ford II, in 1945. He died two years later at his Dearborn home,
at the age of 83.
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