Henry
Ford and the Model T
Photo of Henry Ford in 1911
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Fast Facts about Henry Ford and the Model T
Fast, fun facts about Henry Ford and the Model T
automobile for kids:
●
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in
Dearborn, Michigan and died April 7, 1947 at
the age of 83. He was a self-made man who
became a world famous American industrialist
and the founder of the Ford Motor Company.
● The Ford Model T was made
in nine different body styles that were
built with the same engine and essentially
the same chassis. The Ford Model T was the
first automobile that was mass-produced on
moving assembly lines with completely
interchangeable parts.
●
The colors of the first Model T cars were
grey, green, blue, and red - not black. In
1914 Henry Ford reduced costs and durability
by using black paint. The most famous Henry
Ford quote, made in a 1909 planning meeting
with his production team, was that in the
future:
"Any customer can have a
car painted any color that he wants,
so long as it's black!"
Henry Ford and the Model T for kids: Fact Sheet
Interesting description and facts about Henry Ford and the Model T
are detailed in the Fact Sheet. The biography and history of Henry
Ford and the Model T is told in a factual sequence consisting of a
series of short facts providing a simple method of relating the
biography, history and events surrounding Henry Ford and the Model T. For
additional facts refer to the
Inventions & Inventors Timeline.
Henry Ford and the Model T
Facts and History for kids
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 1: Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863
at Dearborn farm in Greenfield Township, Wayne County,
Michigan
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 2: His parents were William Ford, who
was born in Ireland, and Mary Litogot, an American.
Henry was the eldest of six children and raised on the
family's Dearborn Farm that was located on the outskirt
of Detroit.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 3: He developed an interest in mechanics
by taking apart a pocket watch and then earning some
pocket money as a watch repairman. His passion for
machinery led him to leave the farm in 1879, to work as
an apprentice machinist in Detroit city.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 4: His first jobs were with James F.
Flower & Bros and then with the Detroit Dry Dock Company
where he finished his apprenticeship.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 5: In 1882, he returned to the family
farm and at the same time studied bookkeeping at
Goldsmith, Bryant & Stratton Business College in
Detroit. His education gave him the skills to become a
successful businessman.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 6: The family farm used a Westinghouse
portable steam engine and Henry became an expert
operator of the machine. He was hired to work part time
for Westinghouse Company for steam engines to service
and demonstrate their machines. At this time Henry Ford
became inspired by the first petrol or gasoline powered
automobile that was invented by Karl Benz in 1886.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 7: In 1888 he married Clara Bryant and
the couple had in 1893 became the parents of their only
child, their son Edsel Bryant Ford (1893-1943).
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 8: In 1891 the Fords moved back to
Detroit so that Henry could learn more about electricity
by working at the Edison Illuminating Company.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 9:
The Quadricycle:
In 1896 Henry Ford built his first car - a horseless
carriage using a simple frame with an ethanol-powered
engine and four bicycle wheels mounted on it. He called
his creation the "Quadricycle".
● The
Quadricycle 'horseless carriage' had one seat and
under the seat was a 4 horsepower, 2 cylinder engine
● The
Quadricycle was steered by a tiller, driven by a
chain and had only two gears (no reverse gear)
● The
Quadricycle achieved a top speed of 20 mph (32 km/h)
and was gasoline powered
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 10: The Quadricycle: He sold his first
Quadricycle for $200 in 1896 to Charles Ainsley. The
Quadricycle was his first experimental automobile and
its success led to the founding of the Ford Motor
Company in 1903 and the manufacture of the Model T
automobile.
Continued...
Henry Ford
and the Model T
Facts and History for kids
Henry Ford and the Model T for kids
Interesting history and the Henry Ford and the Model T for kids are
continued below.
Henry Ford
and the Model T
Facts and History for kids
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact
11: Following the commercial success of
the Quadricycle he persuaded investors to help him form
the Detroit Automobile Company and the Henry Ford
Corporation to manufacture automobiles. He started by
producing racing cars but the market for these special
vehicles was obviously limited so the first companies
closed and he opened the Ford Motor Company in 1903.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact
12: Alexander Y. Malcomson, John and
Horace E. Dodge, John S. Gray, Horace Rackham, and James
Couzens were some of the original investors in the
company.
Henry Ford and Model T Fact 13:
He achieved considerable
publicity by racing his cars, and his name
became well known in the early automobile
industry.
●
The Ford Model A, aka the Fordmobile, was
the first car produced by company
● Production began on the bright red,
2-seat runabout in 1903
● 1,750 cars were made but it was more
expensive than its main competitor, the
Oldsmobile
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact
14: Many other models were designed from
the Model A to the Model S. Then the Model T came into
its own when the "Tin Lizzie" was introduced.
● The new Model T models were designed
to appeal to the masses
● The automobiles were light,
fast, and strong
● Vanadium steel, which was
much stronger than any other steel available, was
used in the manufacture
Henry Ford and Model T Fact 15:
The first Model T
automobiles were produced on October 1, 1908
● They were first
produced at the Piquet plant in Detroit,
Michigan
● The Ford Model T was made in nine
different body styles
● The different body styles are
illustrated throughout the remainder of this
article
● The picture on the right is a Ford Model
T, two passenger coupe
Henry Ford and Model T Fact 16:
The automobile was
manufactured in different designs to suit all tastes.
● The colors of the
first Model T automobiles were grey, green,
blue, and red - not black
● It was originally only built as a
touring car at first, but within a few
months a number of other body styles were
added
● The car became commonly known as the
"Tin Lizzie"
● The picture on the right is a Ford Model
T, five passenger touring car
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 17: The Model T automobiles
had strong selling points and significant time and
effort was put into publicizing the automobiles.
● The cars was
very easy to operate and drive
● They were
inexpensive to repair
● They had a
front-mounted, inline four-cylinder engine
● They achieved
a top speed of 40–45 mph
● The picture on
the right is a Ford Model T, three passenger
roadster
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 18: The Model T designs
included different innovations
● The steering
wheel was on left
● There was an enclosed engine
and transmission
● The designers
were Childe Harold Wills, Joseph A. Galamb and
Eugene Farkas
●
The first selling price was $825
● The picture on
the right is a Ford Model T, two passenger open
runabout
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 19: The company developed a unique
ignition system an unusual trembler coil system was
used to drive the spark plugs of the Model T:
● This eliminated the need for
expensive magnetos that were used on other
automobiles
● The cars were flexible as to
the quality or type of fuel it used
● The engine was capable of
running on gasoline, kerosene, or ethanol
● The picture on
the right is a Ford Model T, six passenger town car
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 20: In the early years
a crank had to be used in order to get the engine
started
● It was a
rear-wheel drive vehicle, and sold as a three speed
car, but one was the reverse
● It was
controlled with three foot pedals and a lever that
was mounted to the road side of the driver's seat
● The throttle
was controlled with a lever on the steering wheel
● The picture on
the right is a Ford Model T, two passenger torpedo
runabout
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 21: The Model T had become so popular
that it was selling faster than the company could make
them. Henry Ford began looking for ways to speed up the
manufacturing and introduced the assembly line method.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 22: The Assembly Line: In 1914 Henry Ford
reduced costs and durability by using black paint on the
Model T automobiles. The
black paint color also dried the fastest - speeding up
production. His most famous quote was "Any
customer can have a car painted any color that he wants
- so long as it is black!"
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 23: The Ford Model T was eventually
manufactured in nine body styles that were built with
the same engine and essentially the same chassis
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 24: The nine Model T body style designs
consisted of the roadster, the runabout, the roadster
torpedo, the town car, the coupe, the coupelet, the
touring car and the fourdoor and tudor sedans.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 25: In 1913 production levels had
increased to such an extent that 200,000 Model T automobiles
were produced
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 26: The new assembly line mass production
techniques, together with the use of efficient
materials, saw the price of the standard Model T
steadily drop from $825 in 1903 until by 1924 a brand
new runabout could be purchased for as little as $260.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 27: In 1914, Henry Ford announced that it
would pay workers a minimum wage of $5 a day. This was
more than double the average for the automobile
industry. He simultaneously reduced the working day from
nine hours to eight, operating the factory
24-hours-a-day with a three-shift system. The factory
employed 13,000 workers.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 28:
In 1918 over half of all the cars sold in
America were Model Ts - from 1909 to 1927 15,007,034
Model T vehicles had been sold. Easy credit on
Installment Plans were made available which led to the
rise of
Consumerism in 1920's America. By 1923 Ford had
gained 50% of the new car market. By 1927 the company was turning
out a Model T every 24 seconds.
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 29: Fordism: The term of 'Fordism'
emerged defined as "the eponymous manufacturing system
designed to spew out standardized, low-cost goods and
afford its workers decent enough wages to buy them".
Henry Ford
and Model T Fact 30: The Ford Model T had become
affordable to many Americans in the 1920's. The Model T had
revolutionized transportation in America. Henry Ford
died at age of 83 on
April 7, 1947
Henry Ford
and the Model T
Facts and History for kids
Facts
about the
Ford Model T Automobile
For visitors interested in the history of
early automobiles refer to the following articles:
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give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 26th American President whose presidency spanned from September 14, 1901 to March 4, 1909.
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