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Henry Ford Biography Essay

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Henry Ford Biography Essay
Henry Ford, American industrialist and inventor, made significant contributions to the automotive industry by creating the assembly line which produces more automobiles and in less time than before and is also world renowned for his production of the Ford Model T, an affordable workmans car. Ford was born on July 30, 1863 to his father, William and his mother, Mary. He was one of eight children who were raised on a farm eight miles west of Detroit in Dearborn, Michigan (Britannica). When Ford was in his teens he sought work. With side jobs here and there, he finally settled on working at the Edison Illuminating Company in November 1983 as a serviceman (Britannica). During this time he had to be prepared 24 hours a day for a job to be called …show more content…
Though mildly successful, Ford did not agree with his co workers and stepped down. Later he created yet another company, this one he named The Ford Motor Company. The first couple of weeks were very successful but the Association of Automobile Manufacturers claimed to have a patent that applied to all gasoline powered vehicles therefore declining production of Ford automobiles. Ford disliked all industrial combinations and eastern financial power . So he decided to challenge them in court and won (Britannica).
In October 1908 Ford introduced the Model T. With a starting price of only 800 dollars the middle class could afford the car quite easily. It was a workmans car, the first of its kind. Up until then all of the other cars were designed for luxury and style Ford thought it was unnecessary so he didn’t incorporate it in his Model T design . With a 4 cylinder, 20 hp engine, 45 mph top speed, 1,200 lb curb weight, and fuel economy of 13 to 21 mpg it was one of the most efficient cars of the early 1900’s. In its existence Ford sold 15,000,000 Model T’s which is the 8th most sold car ever. None of his success would have not been able to come true if it wasn’t for his key invention of the assembly line. With the first assembly line being put to use on December 1, 1913 Ford was able to reduce the time it took for a car to be made. Specifically, he cut down the Model T production time from 12 hours to 2 and a half hours splitting it up into 84 steps (History). Ford’s invention of the assembly line increased vehicle output and potential

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