Henry Ford – One of the most influential Americans of all time

Henry Ford not only innovated the auto industry but also had a major impact on the 20th century economy, combining mass production with high wages, creating good products at low prices. On January 14, 1935, Time magazine put Henry Ford’s image on the cover. This year, when making a list of the 100 most influential people of all time, this magazine once again honored him. If counted alone in the list of the 20 most influential Americans of all time, Henry Ford ranks 8th. According to Forbes magazine in February 2008, Henry Ford’s total assets reached 188.1 billion USD.

In this list of 20 Americans, there is also Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple, along with many politicians such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and great inventors such as Alexander G. Bell, Thomas Edison , the Wright brothers, Albert Einstein.

Born on July 30, 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan, Henry Ford is not only known as an inventor and founder of the Ford automobile brand, but also as an engineer and businessman who brought many reforms to work. Although he was not the inventor of the automobile, he is always considered the person who contributed to creating the modern world, changing transportation and transportation methods, and bringing assembly line production to the auto industry. Lee Iacocca, one of the employees at Ford in the 1940s, commented that Henry Ford was a genius even if a bit eccentric, and his influence on history was undeniable. Henry Ford died on April 7, 1947 at the age of 83 in Dearborn, Michigan.

From a young age, Ford loved assembling machines. Working on the family farm and in a machine shop in Detroit helped him earn enough money to pursue his passion for mechanics. In 1896, Henry Ford successfully installed a horseless tractor model, and sold it for further development.

In 1901, Ford worked as an engineer at Edison Illuminating and later met Thomas Edison. Edison’s encouragement gave Henry more motivation to develop his work. In 1903, Ford founded Ford Motor Company with the statement: “I will create cars for everyone”, with an initial capital of 28,000 USD. In 1905, when investment banks thought they should build cars for the rich, Ford insisted that car assembly workers must also have money to buy their own cars.

In October 1908, Henry Ford’s words came true when he launched the Model T car at a price of 950 USD, and after 19 years, the price was only 280 USD. Nearly 15.5 million cars have been sold in the US. Model T opened a period when cars were accessible to the majority of customers, not just the rich.

In 1914, the Ford Motor factory in Michigan applied breakthrough production technology, creating a complete car chassis in 93 minutes, down from 728 minutes. With the division of assembly, specialized labor and technical assurance, his company received many orders and sales increased significantly.

Also in 1914, Ford paid workers $5 a day, nearly twice as high as other companies, and reduced working hours from 9 to 8 hours. These innovations accelerated the industrial revolution in America, helping Ford become one of the most famous figures in the world.

The birth of the Model T marked many changes in American society. As car ownership increased, a middle class emerged: suburbanites with high salaries, private vehicles and more time. Suburban areas and the national highway system developed from this time.

In 1921, Ford Motor accounted for 55% of the cars in the US. However, General Motors later surpassed Ford, becoming the leading car manufacturing company. But Henry Ford is still mentioned first when talking about his influence on the automobile and transportation industry.