Henry Ford

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INTRODUCTION
When you think about Ford, an automobile will usually come to mind. Most people don’t think about the man behind that name, Henry Ford. Henry Ford was the man responsible for the Ford Motor Company (FMC). He was also the creator of the invention that changed the mass production industry, the assembly line. As you read on you will learn about Henry Ford’s life, the FMC, and the assembly line.
FORD’S LIFE
In Wayne County, Michigan on July 30, 1863, a pair of Irish immigrants, William and Mary Ford, gave birth to a boy who they named Henry. They owned a farm in Dearborn, Michigan where Henry helped his parents and attended a one-room schoolhouse.
Searching for a different style of living, Ford walked to Detroit in search of a job. He found one at age 16, as an apprentice machinist, where he learned about the internal combustion engine. He eventually became the chief engineer for the Edison Illuminating Company in Detroit. With his knowledge of engines, Ford went back to his hometown and worked part time for the Westinghouse Engine Company.
In 1888 he married the daughter of a neighboring farmer, Clara Bryant. She supported and helped Henry with his early experiments on engines. Most of Ford’s first engines were tested in their kitchen where Mrs. Ford checked the engines oil supply. Although steam engines were used most often, Ford was getting in...

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