THE LIFE OF HENRY FORD

Henry Ford was born on July 30,1863, he was the first of William and Mary Ford's six children. He grew up on a good family farm in Dearborn,Michigan. Henry enjoyed his childhood spending his time like any other typical nineteenth century child , in a one room schoolhouse,and doing farm chores among other things. At an early age he showed an interest in mechanics and he started to dislike farm work.

In 1879 , Ford was 16 and he left home for the nearby city of Detroit to work as an apprentice machinist, he did occasionally return to help on the farm . He remained an apprentice for three years and then returned to Dearborn. During the next few years Henry began operating or repairing steam engines,finding work in a Detroit factory at times. When he married Clara Bryant in 1888, Henry supported himself by running a sawmill .

In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. After joining the Edison Illuminating Company it was clear to him that he wanted to didicate his life to making industrial pursuits. In 1893 his promition to Chief Engineer gave him enough money and time to make experiments on internal combustion engines.

These experiments came together in 1896 with the completion of his own self-propelled vehicle the Quadricycle. The Quadricycle had four wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels, was steered with a tiller like a boat, and had only two forward speeds with no reverse. Ford was not the first to build a self-propelled vehicle with a gasoline engine, however he was one of the several automotive pioneers who helped this country become a nation of motorists.

The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903 with Henry Ford as vice-president and chief engineer. The company only produced a few cars a day at the ford factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit. Groups of two or three men worked on each car components made to order by other companies.

Henry Ford realized his dream of producing an automobile thats was reasonably priced,reliable,and efficient in 1908 with the completion of the Model T automobile. It was easy to operate,maintain,and good handle on rough roads it immediately became a huge success.

By 1918, half of all cars in America were Model T's. To meet the growing demand for the MOdel T, the company opened a large factory at Highland Park, Michigan , in 1910. Henry Ford combined precision manufacturing , standardized and interchangeable parts,a division of labor,and,in 1913, a continuous moving assembly line. Workers stayed in one place , adding one component to each automobile as it moved past them on the line. Delivery of part by converyor belt to the workers was carefully timed to keep the assembly line moving smoothly and efficiently. This was the first method of mass production ever to be used and it was smooth and efficient and it saved money.

Henry Ford died April 7 1947 in 1945 his grandson Henry Ford the second took over the company and he retired in 1979 and died in 1980 . Henry Ford revolutionized the mechanical industry forever even though he was not the first man to make a gas propelled vehicle he made the concept of mass production which today is still used for many products which makes them more cheaper yet they are still efficient Henry Ford will go down in history books for genrations to come as the man who revolutionized the way the world traveled.

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