Henry Ford

Henry Ford, c. 1919

Born - July 30, 1863 Greenfield Township, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

Died - April 7, 1947 (aged 83) Fair Lane, Dearborn, Michigan, U.S.

Occupation - Business

Spouse - Clara Jane Bryant

Parents - William Ford and Mary Ford

Children - Edsel Ford

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was the founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry. He was a prolific inventor and was awarded 161 U.S. patents. As sole owner of the Ford Company he became one of the richest and best-known people in the world. He is credited with "Fordism", that is, the mass production of large numbers of inexpensive automobiles using the assembly line which could finish a car in 98 minutes. Henry Ford's intense commitment to lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system that put a dealership in every city in North America, and in major cities on six continents. Ford left most of his vast wealth to the Ford Foundation but arranged for his family to control the company permanently

Ford Motor Company

At age 40, Ford, with 11 other investors and $28,000 in capital, incorporated the Ford Motor Company in 1903. A newly-designed car, driving one mile in 39.4 seconds, setting a new land speed record at 91.3 miles per hour (147.0 km/h).

Ford astonished the world in 1914 by offering a $5 per day wage which more than doubled the rate of most of his workers. The move proved extremely profitable; instead of constant turnover of employees, the best mechanics in Detroit flocked to Ford, bringing in their human capital and expertise, raising productivity, and lowering training costs. Ford called it "wage motive." The company's use of vertical integration also proved successful when Ford built a gigantic factory that shipped in raw materials and shipped out finished automobiles.

Ford Airplane Company

Ford, like other automobile companies, entered the aviation business during World War I, building Liberty engines. After the war, it returned to auto manufacturing until 1925, when Henry Ford acquired the Stout Metal Airplane Company.

Ford's most successful aircraft was the Ford 4AT Trimotor—called the “Tin Goose” because of its corrugated metal construction. It used a new alloy called Alclad that combined the corrosion resistance of aluminum with the strength of duralumin. In 1933, the Ford Airplane Division shut down because of poor sales during the Great Depression.

Other famous people

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) 

While Elizabeth Cady Stanton was still a child, she heard her lawyer father inform abused women that they had no legal alternative but to endure mistreatment by their husbands and fathers.  It was then that she became a champion of women's rights.  In 1840, she met Lucretia Mott at the World Anti-Slavery convention in London.  They called for a convention of women's rights in 1848 where Cady presented a Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution advocating women's suffrage. This took place in Senaca Falls, New York.  She declared, "men and women are created equal." Among the resolutions in her declaration, Cady Stanton included voting rights for women. She later met Susan B Anthony, and the two of them became the women's movement's most outspoken advocates. 

John D. Rockefeller

Born: July 8, 1839 Richford, New York, U.S.A

Died: May 23, 1937 (aged 97)The Casements, Ormond Beach, Florida

Occupation: Chairman of Standard Oil Company; investor; philanthropist

John Davison Rockefeller, Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the oil industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. Rockefeller had always believed since he was a child that his purpose in life was to make as much money as possible, and then use it wisely to improve the lot of mankind. In 1870, Rockefeller founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until he retired in the late 1890s. He kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and first billionaire. Rockefeller is often regarded as the richest person in history.

Standard Oil was convicted in Federal Court of monopolistic practices and broken up in 1911. Rockefeller spent the last forty years of his life in retirement. His fortune was used to create the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy with foundations that had a major impact on medicine, education, and scientific research. His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and was instrumental in the eradication of hookworm and yellow fever. He was a devout Northern Baptist and supported many church-based institutions throughout his life.

Always avoiding the spotlight, Rockefeller was remembered for handing dimes to those he encountered in public. Married in 1864, Rockefeller outlived his wife Laura Celestia ("Cettie") Spelman. The Rockefellers had four daughters and one son (John D. Rockefeller, Jr.). "Junior" was largely entrusted with supervision of the foundations.