He is remembered for his astonishing accomplishments, and perseverance. Henry Ford was an American industrialist, best known for his pioneering achievements in the automobile industry. Ford was born on a farm near Dearborn, Michigan and educated in district schools. He became a machinist's apprentice in Detroit at the age of 16. From 1888 to 1899 he was a mechanical engineer, and later chief engineer, with the Edison Illuminating Company. So from a young age Ford was interested in mechanics. In 1896, after experimenting for years in his leisure hours, he completed the construction of his first automobile, the Quadricycle. .
One of Ford's great automotive accomplishments is the assembly line. The assembly line is a system used in automotive factories. It involved workers standing in a line and waiting for a car to come to them. Cars were carried on treads to the workers one by one. All the workers had a certain part of a car that they would have to complete. After they where done with their part of that car the next car would move to them, and they would do their designated part of the car again. The assembly line made production speeds go up, and costs go down. The assembly line is still used today in most automobile factories. .
You might think what other contributions did Ford have other then the automobile? Well, early in 1941 Ford was granted government contracts whereby he was, at first, to manufacture parts for bombers and, later, the entire airplane. He therefore launched the construction of a huge BF109, and BF110 (both types of planes) manufacturing plant at Willow Run, Michigan, where production was begun in May 1942. Despite certain technical difficulties, by the end of World War II this plant had manufactured more than 8000 planes. Ford supplied a lot of our war effort in World War II. Without Henry Ford we might have lost in World War II. Ford did many important things other then work with automobiles.