Bao Huo Lao Biographies Library · Giants 100 Biographies Series -- Ford

Author: Zheng Guancheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: We are delighted to recommend the "Giant Biographies Series" to young friends. At the turn of the century, having such a premium series accompany you is a joy in wisdom. We believe that from the footsteps of these giants and masters, you can learn how to handle success and failure, comfort and hardship, joy and pain, smoothness and tribulation, understand how to face life, how to be a person, how to pursue knowledge, how to shape oneself, and how to shape the future.
Principal of Peking University, Zhao Yulin Secretary of the Party Committee, Dong Lingsheng
Every great figure with global influence contains a deeply moving story. Their rich experiences and life lessons, their spirit of struggle and elements of success, their pursuit of excellence and ability to seize opportunities, undoubtedly have a tremendous inspirational and educational role for today's youth.
Principal of Tsinghua University, Zhao Qinggang
Giants are the elite of humanity, who have made outstanding contributions to the progress and civilization of human society. Their spirit of struggle and extraordinary achievements are deeply admired and serve as role models for people to learn from. Giants are human, not gods; they come from ordinary people yet surpass them. Their lofty ideals and belief in serving the motherland and humanity drive them to persevere and fear no difficulties.
Principal of Tianjin Nankai, Kang Xiuyan
To carefully read this series, it is as if you see their appearance, manner, ideals, beliefs, ambitions, and sentiments. This will help you learn how to be a person, how to pursue knowledge, and how to build a career.
Principal of Fudan University, Cao Tianren
Henry Ford (Henry Ford, born July 30, 1863, in Wayne County, Michigan, and died April 7, 1947, in Dearborn) was born into a self-sufficient farming family in Michigan. Ford's parents, William and Mary Ford, were immigrants from Ireland. Ford was born on a farm owned by his parents, and he was the eldest of six children. He developed an interest in mechanics from a young age. At the age of 12, he spent a lot of time building his own workshop. At 15, he built an internal combustion engine by hand. He loved tinkering with various machines, and even as a child, he could take apart and rebuild a watch. Soon, in addition to repairing the clocks in his own home, he also repaired clocks for all his neighbors. Once, a friend of the family said, "Every clock in the Ford household trembles when Henry comes by!" Due to his love for machines, Henry gradually grew dissatisfied with farm life. When he grew up, he moved to Detroit and quickly became the chief engineer of the city's power company. After that, he began to focus on designing a remarkable new machine that could run on its own power and carry people. He called this machine a "horseless carriage," which is the prototype of the modern automobile. In April 1893, this "carriage" was finally completed, and Ford tried to start it. Although it was not yet perfect, it finally moved, and that was what mattered. Ford believed that all difficulties would eventually be overcome. At that time, other inventors were exploring ways to create practical cars using electricity, steam, or other methods. But Ford continued to experiment with gasoline-powered engines. In 1903, he finally produced a car that was lightweight, close to the ground, and fast enough to compete with other cars. He named his car "999" after a famous express train. He drove "999" in a three-mile race and won. His speed record quickly became world-famous. A week after the race, Ford successfully founded the Ford Company. After that, his business grew rapidly. Within four years of the company's founding, its assets exceeded a million dollars. In 1908, the Ford Company introduced a simple and affordable T-model, which captured a large share of the car market. Later, they turned their attention to sports cars and luxury cars. In 1913, the Ford Company pioneered the assembly line production method, greatly increasing its production efficiency. When the T-model series ended in 1927, the Ford Company had produced over 15 million affordable cars. This was nothing short of a miracle at the time, and this miracle was created under the leadership of Henry Ford. He was the world's first person to use an assembly line for mass production of cars. This new production method made cars a mass product, not only revolutionizing industrial production but also having a huge impact on modern society and culture. As a result, some sociologists have called this period of economic and social history "Fordism."
Henry Ford was also a man of peace. As early as 1915, he organized a peace ship to visit Nordic countries, attempting to end World War I. In 1936, he founded the Ford Foundation, which later became one of the world's major charitable organizations. Between 1939 and 1945, Ford spent $65 million to build factories in Dearborn, Michigan, to produce planes for the U.S. military, helping the United States win World War II. On September 21, 1945, he handed over power to his grandson. On April 7, 1947, this man who greatly changed the lives of people in the United States and around the world through his industrial achievements passed away in Dearborn due to a stroke at the age of 83 and was buried in the Ford Cemetery in Detroit.
Regarding Henry Ford, he himself published an autobiography in 1922, and others have also written numerous biographies about him. These books generally take either a praising or a derogatory stance. In reality, people are not that pure. Ford was a great man, but also an ordinary man, and his achievements and flaws coexist. This book strives to provide a detailed account of Henry Ford's complex personality, neither exaggerating his virtues nor hiding his faults, to portray a true and well-rounded Henry Ford to the readers.