Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863 in Wayne County, Michigan. Henry was raised on a farm in Dearborn and helped his father with the harvest. Henry was not interested with school and disliked the farm life. He wanted to learn about internal combustion engines. At age 16, he landed a job as an apprentice in a machine shop. Their he would learn about engines and how they operate. After several years of working as an apprentice, Henry moved back home and worked part-time for the Westinghouse Engine Company. He put together a modest machine shop on his father's farm and began fooling around with engines and machines.
During the time he was living at the farm, he married Clara Jane Bryant. A couple years later Henry and his wife relocated to Detroit, because Ford was offered a job to be the chief engineer at Detroit Edison Company.
In 1896, Ford Built a car that had a 4 horse power engine that could hit 20 miles per hour! A very fast speed back then.
Portrait of Henry Ford (ca. 1919)
English: Ford Motor Company Headquarters, Dearborn...
1896 Ford Quadricycle photographed at The Henry Fo...He named it the Quadricycle Runabout and the automobile was sold for $200.00. He brought into existence Ford Motor Company on June 16th, 1903. In Ford's first year, his company produced one thousand, seven hundred and eight cars! An incredible start for the company.
In 1908, Henry Ford introduced the Model T car designed and sold for any family. The Model T revolutionized the American industry. Henry Ford believed in selling cars cheap enough so most people could afford it. He especially wanted his workers to be able to get to work.
In 1913 Ford introduced the first assembly line, which drastically reduced production time. He even instituted the $5.00-a-day- minimum wage. When the United States entered the war in 1917, Ford ordered that his plant...