The belt was shifted by a clutch lever to control speeds at 10 or 20 miles per hour, augmented by a throttle. Ford stated, "In 1892, I completed my first motor car, powered by a two-cylinder four horsepower motor, with a two-and-half-inch bore and a six-inch stroke, which was connected to a countershaft by a belt and then to the rear wheel by a chain. In 1890, Ford started work on a two-cylinder engine. In his farm workshop, Ford built a "steam wagon or tractor" and a steam car, but thought "steam was not suitable for light vehicles," as "the boiler was dangerous." Ford also said that he "did not see the use of experimenting with electricity, due to the expense of trolley wires, and "no storage battery was in sight of a weight that was practical." In 1885, Ford repaired an Otto engine, and in 1887 he built a four-cycle model with a one-inch bore and a three-inch stroke. He received a watch, and he witnessed the operation of a Nichols and Shepard road engine, ".the first vehicle other than horse-drawn that I had ever seen". įord stated two significant events occurred in 1875 when he was 12. During this period, Ford also studied bookkeeping at Goldsmith, Bryant & Stratton Business College in Detroit. He was later hired by Westinghouse to service their steam engines.
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In 1882, he returned to Dearborn to work on the family farm, where he became adept at operating the Westinghouse portable steam engine. Flower & Bros., and later with the Detroit Dry Dock Co. In 1879, Ford left home to work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit, first with James F. He later wrote, "I never had any particular love for the farm-it was the mother on the farm I loved." His father expected him to take over the family farm eventually, but he despised farm work. įord was devastated when his mother died in 1876. At twenty, Ford walked four miles to their Episcopal church every Sunday. At 15, Ford dismantled and reassembled the timepieces of friends and neighbors dozens of times, gaining the reputation of a watch repairman. His father gave him a pocket watch in his early teens. Henry Ford's siblings were Margaret Ford (1867–1938) Jane Ford (c. His mother, Mary Ford (née Litogot 1839–1876), was born in Michigan as the youngest child of Belgian immigrants her parents died when she was a child and she was adopted by neighbors, the O'Herns. His father, William Ford (1826–1905), was born in County Cork, Ireland, to a family that had emigrated from Somerset, England in the 16th century. Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863, on a farm in Springwells Township, Michigan. 14.1 Memoirs by Ford Motor Company principals.8.2 Florida and Georgia residences and community.8.1 Interest in materials science and engineering.4 Antisemitism and The Dearborn Independent.3.2.2 Coming of World War II and Ford's mental collapse.Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation and arranged for his family to permanently control it.įord was also widely known for his pacifism during the first years of World War I, and for promoting antisemitic content, including The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, through his newspaper The Dearborn Independent, and the book The International Jew. His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put dealerships throughout North America and major cities on six continents. Ford had a global vision, with consumerism as the key to peace.
He is credited with " Fordism", the mass production of inexpensive goods coupled with high wages for workers. As the Ford Motor Company owner, he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. His introduction of the Ford Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry.
By creating the first automobile that middle-class Americans could afford, he converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into an accessible conveyance that profoundly impacted the landscape of the 20th century. Henry Ford (J– April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production.