Henry Ford Accomplishments

Henry Ford Driving to work or school every morning isn’t seen as something out of the ordinary. Life wasn’t always like that, but Henry Ford helped make the change. Henry Ford’s innovations have forever changed not only the automobile industry, but the world. Ford’s early life shaped him for his future. He grew up in Michigan on a farm with his family (Encyclopdia Britannica). His family included his mother, Mary Ford, his father, William Ford, and five siblings (Ford Corporate). He worked on the farm when he was not at school (Encyclopdia Britannica). He received education through eighth grade but did not attend high school or college (Encyclopdia Britannica). As a child, he was interested in mechanics. According to Investopedia, at the age of twelve Ford spent “much of his time in a

Ford left the farm at sixteen for his first job at the Flowers Brothers Machine Shop in Detroit in 1879 (“Henry Ford - Biography, Facts and Pictures”, Encyclopdia Britannica). After gaining some experience in the shops, he began to build his first automobile, the “Quadricycle”. Ford’s hard work started to get noticed when his Quadricycle hit the streets of Detroit (“Henry Ford - Biography, Facts and Pictures”). American Experience by PBS states “Over the next several years, Ford will have a number of financial backers, who eventually all become exasperated with his constant attempts to update and improve his models.” (“The Life of Henry Ford | American Experience | PBS.”). After the Quadricycle he created several racing cars (Encyclopdia Britannica). He knew he could grab the public’s attention with something fast. According to an article written by Frank Wicks on the Gale Academic OneFile database, “Henry Ford realized that speed was the best means of getting attention and sponsors.” (Wicks, Frank). By this time, Ford and other investors had gone in together to create the Ford Motor