Automobile manufacturer Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863, on his family’s farm near Dearborn, Michigan. When Henry was 15, his father gifted him a pocket watch, which the young boy promptly took apart and reassembled. Friends and neighbors were impressed and requested that he fix their timepieces too.

Unsatisfied with farm work, Ford left home the next year, at age 16, to take an apprenticeship as a machinist in Detroit. In the years that followed, he would learn to skillfully operate and service steam engines, and would also study bookkeeping

In 1888, Ford married Clara Ala Bryant and briefly returned to farming to support his wife and son, Edsel. But three years later, he was hired as an engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company. In 1883, his natural talents earned him a promotion to Chief Engineer.

All the while, Ford developed his plans for a horseless carriage, and in 1896, he constructed his first model, the Ford Quadricycle. After a few trials building cars and companies, in 1903, Henry Ford established the Ford Motor Company. Ford introduced the Model T in October of 1908, and for several years, the company posted 100 percent gains.

In 1914, he sponsored the development of the moving assembly line technique of mass production. Simultaneously, he introduced the $5-per-day wage as a method of keeping the best workers loyal to his company. Simple to drive and cheap to repair, half of all cars in America in 1918 were Model T’s.

Ford was also an ardent pacifist and opposed World War I, even funding a peace ship to Europe. Later, in 1936, Ford and his family established the Ford Foundation to provide ongoing grants for research, education and development. But despite these philanthropic leanings, Ford was also a committed anti-Semite, going as far as to support a weekly newspaper, The Dearborn Independent, which furthered such views.

Henry Ford died of a cerebral hemorrhage on April 7, 1947, at the age of 83, near his Dearborn estate, Fair Lane. Ford, considered one of America's leading businessmen, and is credited today for helping to build America's economy during the nation's vulnerable early years.

  

"Henry Ford Biography." Biography.com. Bio, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/henry-ford-9298747?page=1>.

The life of Henry ford." HFMGV.com. Henry Ford museum, 2003. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <http://www.hfmgv.org/exhibits/hf/>.

Bellis, Mary. "Henry Ford Biography." Inventors.com. Ed. Mary Bellis. About.com, n.d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <http://inventors.about.com/od/fstartinventors/a/HenryFord.htm>.

Autombile in Amrican life, Dearborn. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <www.autolife.umd.umich.edu>.

Serious Wheels, Dearborn. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <www.seriouswheels.com>.

@Ford.com, Detroit. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <www.at.ford.com>.

Henry Ford. American Business. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. <www.american-business.org>.