""Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young."
- Henry Ford
- Henry Ford
Early Life
Henry Ford was born on July 30th, 1863 on a small farm in Dearborn, Michigan. He was born to Irish immigrant parents who had minimum education. Because ford lived on a farm he had minimum education just like his parents did, ford finished eighth grade at the age of 15. After graduating grade school he worked on his father’s farm. But before he graduated grade school, his mother died giving birth when he was 12 years old. Ford was devastated, since he was very close to his mother. He kept her close to his heart for the rest of his life. To pass the time and not think about his mother, Ford would break apart and then reassemble things. He was especially gifted with watches and clocks.I was surprised to know that by the time he was thirteen he could put together a watch that kept time. Although he was great with watches and clocks, his true passion was in machinery. He was fascinated with how machines and things worked, and this would be the force that would push him into the machinery business.
Later Life
When Henry was twenty-eight he became an engineer at Edison Company which made electrical generating stations. He was made chief engineer two years later and advanced to a salary of $125 a month. The first car he made was a "gasoline buggy" called the Quadricycle. He drove it around for two years, and it was known to draw a crowd everywhere he went.The Model T was introduced on October 1, 1908 ,some called it the "Tin Lizzie" and to others, the "Flivver". The cost of the car: $950. Five years later he started using an assembly line and could produce cars faster and cheaper until the price of the car fell to $360. Assembly lines had been used before, but he was the first to use conveyor belts to move the parts where they needed them. Unfortunately, Ford had a heart attack in 1938 and turned the running of the company over to his son, and even more unfortunate, Edsel died five years later, and Ford was forced to again assume leadership. He stayed in this position for two years, but due to his ill health, he made his grandson Henry Ford II president of the company in 1945. Henry Ford died at the age of 83 of a cerebral hemorrhage .Overall he was one of many people who helped to make America great. He is an American hero in our eyes , because without him the middle class may have been walking for a few extra years , or even longer!