American industrialist who founded Ford Motor Company and made cars affordable with the Model T and the moving assembly line
Did you know?He was a lifelong friend of Thomas Edison and reportedly kept a test tube containing his friend's final breath.
Quick facts
Date of birth30 July 1863
Date of death7 April 1947
Age at death83
Cause of deathCerebral hemorrhage
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceSpringwells Township, United States
Occupationentrepreneur, inventor, writer
Editor's Take:
Henry Ford did not invent the car, but he made it something ordinary families could afford. His Model T, launched in 1908, was simple, tough and cheap, and his moving assembly line cut the time needed to build one from many hours to around ninety minutes. In 1914 he also shocked the business world by roughly doubling his workers' pay to five dollars a day, helping create customers for his own cars. His methods transformed manufacturing far beyond the motor industry. His legacy is also stained by antisemitic publications he sponsored in the 1920s.
Key Milestones
1903: Founds the Ford Motor Company
1908: Launches the Model T
1913: Introduces the moving assembly line
1914: Doubles wages to $5 a day
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system that came to be known as Fordism.
Henry Ford's birthday is July 30. He was born on July 30, 1863 in Springwells Township, United States.
How old was Henry Ford when he died?
Henry Ford died on April 7, 1947, aged 83.
Who shares a birthday with Henry Ford?
Famous people who share Henry Ford's July 30 birthday include Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emily Brontë, Christopher Nolan, Patrick Modiano and Hilary Swank.
