On June 4, 1896 in a tiny workshop behind his home on
58 Bagley Avenue, Henry Ford put the finishing touches on his gasoline-powered
motor car. After more than two years of experimentation, Henry Ford at the age
of thirty-two, had completed his first experimental automobile. He dubbed his
creation the "Quadricycle," so named because it ran on four bicycle
tires. The success of the little vehicle fueled Ford's automobile ambitions,
leading ultimately to the founding of Ford Motor Company in 1903.
Henry Ford was born July 30, 1863, on a farm in
Greenfield Township, Michigan. His father, William Ford (1826–1905), was born
in County Cork, Ireland, to a family that was originally from Somerset,
England, His mother, Mary Ford (née Litogot) (1839–1876), was born in Michigan
as the youngest child of Belgianimmigrants; her parents died when she was a
child and she was adopted by neighbors, the O'Herns. Henry Ford's siblings were
Margaret Ford (1867–1938); Jane Ford (c. 1868–1945); William Ford (1871–1917) and
Robert Ford (1873–1934).
In 1891, Ford became an engineer with the Edison
Illuminating Company. After his promotion to Chief Engineer in 1893, he had
enough time and money to devote attention to his personal experiments on
gasoline engines. These experiments culminated in 1896 with the completion of a
self-propelled vehicle which he named the Ford Quadricycle. He test-drove it on
June 4. After various test drives, Ford brainstormed ways to improve the
Quadricycle.
Source: Author
Post a Comment