The production of practical and inexpensive cars, which was organized by Henry Ford, made it possible to improve the lives of many people around the world.
By introducing conveyor assembly, Ford not only established mass production of cars, but also directed the development of industry along a new path.
Henry Ford was born in the village of Springfield in Michigan on July 30, 1863.
He was the eldest of six children of William and Mary Ford, who owned a prosperous farm.
Henry spent his childhood on his parents ' farm, where he helped the family and attended an ordinary rural school.
A huge interest in technology, which Henry showed at a very young age, and allowed him to become one of the most famous industrialists in the world.
At the age of 12, Henry equipped a small workshop, where he enthusiastically spent all his free time.
It was there that a few years later he designed his first steam engine.
In 1879, Henry Ford moved to Detroit, where he got a job as an assistant machinist.
Three years later, Ford moved to Dearborn and spent five years designing and repairing steam engines, working occasionally at a factory in Detroit.
In 1888, he married Clara Braent and soon took a position as a manager at a sawmill.
In 1891, Ford became an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company, and two years later was appointed chief engineer of the company.
A decent salary and a sufficient amount of free time allowed Ford to devote more time to the development of internal combustion engines.
Ford assembled the first internal combustion engine in the kitchen of his house.
Soon he decided to put the engine on a frame with four bicycle wheels.
So in 1896, a quadricycle appeared – a vehicle that became the first Ford car.
After retiring from the Edison Illuminating company in 1899, Henry Ford founded his own company, Detroit Automobile.
Despite the fact that the company went bankrupt a year later, Ford managed to assemble several racing cars.
Ford himself took part in auto racing and in October 1901 managed to defeat the American champion Alexander Winton.
The Ford Motor Company appeared in 1903.
Its founders were twelve businessmen from the state of Michigan, led by Henry Ford, who held 25.5% of the company's shares and held the positions of vice president and chief engineer of the company.
A former van factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit was converted into an automobile factory.
Teams consisting of two or three workers, under the direct supervision of Ford, assembled cars from spare parts that were made to order by other enterprises.
The company's first car was sold on July 23, 1903.
In 1906, Henry Ford became the president and the main owner of the company.
In 1908, Henry Ford realized his dream by releasing the model " T " - a reliable and inexpensive car that became one of the most popular and popular cars of its time.
It was the appearance of the "T" model that marked the beginning of a new era in the development of personal transport.
The Ford car was easy to drive, it did not require complex maintenance and could drive even on rural roads.
New generation In 1919, Henry Ford and his son Edsel bought out the company's shares from other shareholders for $ 105,568,858 and became the sole owners of the company.
In the same year, Edsel inherited from his father the post of president of the company, which he held until his death in 1943.
After the sudden death of his son, Henry Ford again had to take the helm of the company.
Retirement In September 1945, Henry Ford handed over the powers to his eldest grandson, Henry Ford II.
In May 1946, Henry Ford Sr. was awarded an honorary award for services to the automotive industry, and at the end of the same year, the American Petroleum Institute presented him with a gold medal for services to the community.
The end of the era Henry Ford died at the age of 83 at his home in Dearborn on April 7, 1947.
Thus ended a whole era in the history of Ford Motor Company, which, despite the death of its founder, continued to develop actively.
