Henry Ford was an incredible man. He did so much to help the world and made a great transportation that everyone can use. He changed American history with a very tough life and he never gave up.
Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863 in Greenville Township, Michigan. He was the eldest child out of his five other siblings. He grew up in a farm land in Dearborn, Michigan with his family and went to school with his friends. He did not like farm work and was interested in mechanical things when he was very young. When he was 16, he went to Detroit to be an apprentice machinist. He was an apprentice for three years and then went back to Dearborn to help out on the farm. After a few years, Henry Ford operated and repaired steam engines, worked in a Detroit factory, and helped with farm work. He then married Clara Bryant in 1888. He supported himself and his wife by running a sawmill.
Henry Ford became an engineer with the help of the Edison Illuminating Company in 1891. He became Chief Engineer in 1893. This gave him money and also time to work on all his experiments. During these experiments he made his own self-propelled vehicle called the Quadricycle. The Quadricycle had four wire wheels which were big bicycle wheels. It could steer like a boat and it only had two forward speeds with no reverse.
After two unsuccessful tries to make a company he finally made one in 1903. The people that helped him were the Dodge Brothers. They made the Ford Motor Company. His first model was Model T which was a huge success. In 1918, Henry Ford ran for candidate for the senate but was unsuccessful. In 1981, half of the cars in America were Model Tâs. The second model he made was Model A. This was also a very big success but not as big as Model T. Later, he made the Ford Airplane Company. His planes helped a lot during World War II and also during the Great Depression.
Henry Ford was a great American hero. Even though he was not the first person to make a car, he was the most successful. All the car companies today have started to make cars because Henry Ford has inspired them all.