Half of American cars were Model Ts by 1918
Henry Ford did not invent the assembly line, but he perfected it—and priced a car at $825 in 1908, then $360 by 1916. Fifteen million Model Ts later, he had reshaped both American industry and everyday mobility forever.
Henry Ford left his Michigan farm at sixteen, worked as a machinist in Detroit, and joined Edison Illuminating Company as chief engineer by 1893. His 1896 Quadricycle led to failed ventures—the Detroit Automobile Company dissolved in 1901, and he left the Henry Ford Company that became Cadillac. With coal dealer Alexander Malcomson he reincorporated their partnership as the Ford Motor Company in mid-June 1903.
The Model T debuted October 1, 1908, with left-hand steering, enclosed engine and transmission, and a solid four-cylinder block. Priced at $825, it fell every year; by 1916 a basic touring car cost $360. Sales hit 250,000 in 1914 and 472,000 in 1916. Ford received a 1911 patent for its transmission mechanism. Moving assembly belts introduced in 1913—developed by employees including Clarence Avery and Charles Sorensen—multiplied output dramatically. The company had launched in 1903 on $28,000 from a handful of Detroit investors.
By 1918 half of all cars in America were Model Ts. Total production reached 15,007,034 over nineteen years—a record unbroken for forty-five years. Ford's franchise dealer network spread the car across six continents. He pioneered the five-day workweek and believed consumerism could foster peace, though his company later supplied wartime weapons.
Ford bought out remaining shareholders in 1919 through a strategic ruse—founding Henry Ford and Son to pressure holdouts—giving his family sole ownership. He passed the presidency to son Edsel in 1918 but often reversed decisions. When Edsel died in 1943, the aging Ford briefly resumed control before grandson Henry Ford II took over in 1945. Ford left most wealth to the Ford Foundation at his 1947 death.
Source: Henry Ford
