1. Henry Ford
By: Paul Yamane

2. Why is Henry Ford is one of the most important Americans of the 20th century?
He did not . . .
Invent the “horseless carriage” or automobile (Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot did in 1769)
Invent the internal combustion engine (Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoire patented it in 1860)
Invent the mass production of commodities through specialization and division of labor (see Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations in 1776)
Invent the automobile industry (Daimler and Benz did in 1885)
Invent the mass production of cars (Oldsmobile did in 1901)
Invent the use of interchangeable parts in the car assembly process (Cadillac did in 1904)

3. Henry Ford was an inventor . . .
Was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1982 for his invention of the “transmission mechanism”
Google Patent Search finds 50 patents under his name
. . . but he is not best known for any particular invention.

4. Why Henry Ford Is Important
He revolutionized production by implementing the moving assembly line
In doing so he made a car for the masses: the Model T

5. “I will build a motor car for the great multitude
“I will build a motor car for the great multitude.  It will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessings of hours of pleasure in God’s greatest open spaces.” 
--Henry Ford upon founding Ford Motor Company c. 1903

6. Background Born July 30, 1863 Loved tinkering with things as a kid
Idol was Thomas Edison
Did not go to college
Married Clara Bryant in 1888
Died April 7, 1947

7. Ford Motor Company Founded June 17, 1903 Founded in Dearborn, Michigan
Was Henry Ford’s third company
Current President/CEO is Alan Mulally
Current Chairman is William Clay Ford, Jr., Henry Ford’s great-grandson
In 2007, sold 2.4 million cars
Started making the Model T in 1908
First moving assembly line was at Highland Park Assembly Plant (1913)

8. Assembly Line Basics
Basic principle: the work moves and the workers stay put
It is based on a division of labor and specialization: many people work on a product and each person does a small task at a station
Parts must be standardized (interchangeable)
When a product reaches the end of the line it has gone through every station and is now a finished product
This is an old idea: perhaps used by Egyptians building pyramids, famous example of “pin factory” in Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations (published 1776)

9. Moving Assembly Line (Idea)
Ford’s innovation was not the assembly line, but the MOVING assembly line
Idea of the moving assembly line is typically credited to a trip Ford employees made to the Swift meatpacking plant in Chicago, where they saw pigs being conveyed through a “disassembly” line of stations
“Why don’t we assemble motors like they kill hogs in Chicago?” 
-- C. Harold Wills, Chief Engineering Assistant, Ford Motor Company, 1912

10. Moving Assembly Line Implementation
First moving assembly line at Ford Motor Co. produced magneto coils
Later, entire vehicles were assembled at Highland Park plant, beginning in 1913
Moving assembly line was so efficient that Ford could only use type of paint (one that would dry fast enough), which only came in black

11. Assembly Line Efficiency
One man hour with moving assembly line equaled four man hours without moving assembly line
Though it had 1,500 parts, one Model T could be assembled every three minutes
Made it possible for Ford to make lots of cars much more cheaply

12. Model T Facts Predated the moving assembly line at Ford
First introduced September 27, 1908
Was $850 when introduced
Was produced until 1927
Was the bestselling car for 20 years
Nicknamed the “Tin Lizzie”

13. Model T Cost: Pre- and Post-Moving Assembly Line
1908-$850
1913-$850 (pre-)
1915-$440 (post-)
1916-$360
1924-$290
A Ford worker could buy a Model T with four months of wage

14. Model T Innovations Had the steering wheel on the left
Engine and transmission were entirely enclosed
Cylinders were in a block
Suspension use two semi-elliptic springs

15. Model T Features Had a top Had a windshield Had a speedometer
Had headlamps
Had a generator for the headlamps
Engine was front mounted

16. Model T Features (cont.)
Had a 2.9L engine
Engine had 4 cylinders
Had 20 horsepower
Tank held 10 gallons
Had rear wheel drive
Top speed was miles/hour
Got miles/gallon
Ran on gas or ethanol

17. Fordism
Henry Ford’s success implementing the moving assembly line at Ford Motor Co. became a model for production generally.
This style of production became known as “Fordism” and spread throughout different industries and the world.

18. Significance of the Automobile
By making the “horseless carriage” available to the average person, Henry Ford transformed American society (arguably) more than any other person in the 20th century
80% of all U.S. households own at least one car and 30% own at least 2
80% of all U.S. vacations are by car
Americans drive 2.66 trillion miles per year
Also, makes suburbanization, fast food, and strip shopping malls possible
Represents freedom and individuality – core American values

19. Bibliography
Andrea, David J., and Michael S. Flynn. "Automobile."  World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc.,  
Askin, Ronald G. "Assembly Line."  World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc.,  
"Assembly Line". <
Brinkley, Douglas. Wheels for the World: Henry Ford, His Company, and a Century of Progress, New York: Viking, 2003. 
Burgan, Michael. Henry Ford. Trailblazers of the Modern World. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, 2002. 
"Henry Ford ( )."  Who Did What. Ed. Gerald Howat. New York: Crown Publishing,  
"Ford Model T". <
Gourley, Catherine. Wheels of Time: A Biography of Henry Ford. Brookfield, CT: The Millbrook Press, 1997. 
Harris, Jacqueline L. Henry Ford. New York: Franklin Watts, 1984. 
"Inflation Calculator". <
Nevins, Allan. Ford: The Times, the Man, the Company. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1954. 
Paradis, Adrian. Henry Ford. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1968. 
Rubenstein, James. Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Automotive Industry. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001. 
Smith, Adam. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations  
Sobel, Robert. "Henry Ford."  World Book Encyclopedia. Chicago: World Book, Inc.,