Who Was Henry Ford?

As a young boy, Henry Ford had always been fascinated by mechanical devices, such as watches and wind-up toys. But nothing prepared him for the sight he saw in 1876 on a Michigan dirt road. Twelve-year-old Henry watched a small cart roll along. The cart was carrying a steam engine. Farmers used steam engines to power farm machines, and usually horses pulled these carts from one place to another. But the owner of this “road engine” went one step further. By connecting a chain from the engine to the cart’s wheels, the cart rolled down the path under its own power! Henry was amazed!

The farmer who owned the road engine moved to the side of the road to let the Fords’ horse-drawn wagon pass. Instantly, Henry scrambled off the wagon and began asking the farmer questions about his machine. The farmer explained how the engine worked and how he used its power to move the wagon. In that moment, Henry knew he would dedicate his life to building self-powered vehicles.

Eventually, Henry built the most famous car ever: the Model T.

From 1908 to 1927, the Ford Motor Company sold more than 15 million Model Ts around the world.

Henry Ford helped people move beyond the horse and the road engine toward a more modern world filled with fast and powerful cars.