7. Ford aspect of transportation history

Transport yourself to today @ 1903

At 9:30 in the morning of 06-Jun. 1903, Henry and other prospective stockholders meet in Detroit to sign the official paperwork required to create a new corporation. Twelve stockholders were listed on the forms, which were signed, notarized and sent to the office of Michigan’s secretary of state. The company was officially incorporated the following day, when the secretary of state’s office received the articles of association.

Henry had built his first gasoline-powered vehicle–which he called the Quadricycle in a workshop behind his home in 1896, while he was working as the chief engineer for the main plant of the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. He made two unsuccessful attempts to start a company to manufacture automobiles before 1903.

The sensational demand for the “Tin Lizzie” led Henry to develop mass-production methods, including large production plants, the use of standardized, interchangeable parts and, in 1913, the world’s first moving assembly line for cars. In 1914, to further improve productivity, Henry introduced the $5 daily wage for an eight-hour day for his workers (up from $2.34 for nine hours), setting a standard for the industry.

Yes, the Henry mentioned above is Henry Ford and on 16-Jun., the great Ford Corporation was built. By the way, Tin Lizzie refers to Model T.

The Model T, sold by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927, was the earliest effort to make a car that most people could actually buy. Modern cars were first built in 1885 in Germany by Karl Benz and the first American cars in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1893 by Charles and Frank Duryea. But just because they were available, didn’t mean that ordinary people could afford them.

Model T was actually affordable and it became so popular at one point that a majority of Americans owned one, directly helping rural Americans become more connected with the rest of the country and leading to the numbered highway system. Ford was thus responsible for a social revolution besides engineering a marvel.

Some facts about Model T:

a. Between 1913 and 1927, Ford factories produced more than 15 million Model Ts.

b. It featured a generous ground clearance that could take the worst roads, which made it particularly enticing to rural drivers.

c. It had all its parts built by the company itself.

d. First ever moving assembly line was built to manufacture it. In six months the time to build a Model T was reduced from nine hours and fifty-four minutes for one motor to five hours and fifty-six minutes.

Lost-out, yet important chapters of history!