There are days that are just days, and then there are days that history has made into something more. Today is one of those days, today is a day that has completely altered the way life is conducted. On June 16, 1903 Henry Ford and his shareholders gathered in Detroit and signed the necessary papers that incorporated the Ford Motor Company and so the changing of a country and culture began.

This had been a dream that Henry Ford had been working toward for awhile as he had built his first automobile, which he dubbed the “Quadricycle,” in 1896. Ford had previously failed twice to start his own automobile company before his success with the Ford Motor Company. One month after the papers were signed that incorporated the Ford Motor Company, production started and the first car rolled off the line at the Mack Avenue plant in Detroit.

Early on only a few cars were assembled each day and business was slow. Then Henry Ford made a development that would change modern industry and forever alter all views on transportation. That development was the Model T in 1908. The Model T was the first affordable car for the average man and for the next decade almost 50% of the cars in America were Model Ts. This was accomplished by the development of the moving assembly line and interchangeable parts. Instead of all of the parts being made custom and one crew making a whole car, each individual part of the car was made standard by a work station.

First Assembly Line

As the product moves down the line each station added onto the car and did this same process for each car that moved down the line. This allowed cars to be built en masse at a low cost as everything was standard. Ford was so big on standardization that when he was asked what colors the Model T came in, legend has it Ford said, “You can have whatever color you like, as long as it’s black.” In addition to making the moving assembly line and standardized parts, Ford was also famous for setting a standard working wage and is also responsible for the eight hour work day. All of these are now business standards and taken for granted, and if not for Ford’s work, would not exist if not for that June 16th morning.

1908 Ford Model T

During the time period of 1910-1920, Ford began construction of a factory that combined all aspects of the auto-production industry like a glass factory, steel mill, and assembly line and put it on the banks of the River Rouge in Dearborn, Michigan. Despite opposition to the plant, Ford built the plant and bought out anyone who went against him. Ford and his family have run Ford Motor Company ever since. So next time you get into your car, drive down the street, or look at all the cars in the driveway or garage of every house in America remember that this is because of Ford.