Henry Ford

3 Pages 758 Words

Henry Ford, the son of a farmer, was born in Greenfield, Michigan on the 30th of July 1863. He left school at age 15 to work on his father's farm but in 1879 he moved to Detroit where he became an apprentice in a machine shop. To help him survive on his low wages he spent his evenings repairing clocks and watches.
Ford was diagnosed with dyslexia at an early age. He learned to cope with this disability over the years. His problems in reading comprehension, math, listening skills, and speaking impeded upon the growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. So Ford did most of his learning with his hands and by using visuals.

Ford returned to Greenfield after his father gave him 40 acres to start his own farm. Unable to settle at Greenfield, Ford returned to Detroit to work as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company.

During this period Ford read an article in the World of Science about how the German engineer, Nicholas Otto, had built an internal combustion engine. Ford had somewhat of an understanding for the internal combustion engine from his experience at the machine shop. Ford now spent his spare time trying to build a petrol-driven motorcar. His first car, finished in 1896, was built in a little brick shed in his garden. Driven by a two-cylinder, four-cycle motor, it was mounted on bicycle wheels. Named the Thin Lizzie, the car had no reverse gear or brakes.

By August 1899, Ford had raised enough money to start his own company. His first group of investors withdrew after Ford had spent $86,000 without producing a car that could be sold. After overcoming this obstacle, Ford found 12 new investors willing to invest a total of $28,000 in another motor company. Ford now began production of the Model A car. The car sold well and the company flourished and by 1907 the profits reached $1,100,000.

Initially it took 14 hours to assemble a Model T car. By improving his mas...