Henry Ford was an American
industrialist and inventor who formulated the assembly-line methods for
automobile manufacturing, which led to faster production at lower costs. One of
the most popular figures in history, Ford’s inspired the Industrial Revolution
in the United States and worldwide.
Early Life and Education:
Born on a farm in Greenfield Township, Michigan,
Henry Ford had two brothers and two sisters. His father gave him a pocket watch
when he was fifteen. Even at such a young age, Ford reassembled it and gained
the reputation of a watch repairman. When his mother died in 1876, he refused
to take over the family farm. Ford became an apprentice machinist in 1879. He
also worked for Westinghouse company as a steam engine repairman.
Contributions and
Achievements:
Henry Ford built his first steam engine when he
was only fifteen. He constructed his first internal combustion engine in 1893
and his first automobile in 1896. Ford changed the way automobiles were
designed and built, bringing in the assembly-line factories for the mass
production of vehicles that later led to lower prices, and therefore caused a
storm in automobile ownership throughout the United States and abroad. He
created his first gasoline-driven buggy or Quadricycle in 1893 which was
entirely self-propelled.
Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and
was president of the company from 1906 to 1919. He resumed his post from 1943
to 1945. The gross sales of his company exceeded 250,000 in 1914. The total
sales went over 450.000 1916. Ford became the vice president of the Society of
Automotive Engineers when it was established in 1905. The institute was formed
to systematize automotive parts in the United States.
Later Life and Death:
Henry Ford fell ill and went into retirement in
1945. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage two years later in 1947. Ford was buried
in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit. He was 83 years old.
