Replies

Despite his wacko bigotry, Henry Ford was the most significant person in history so far -- he didn't invent industrialism, or even the assembly line (he saw the Armour 'disassembly line' and had a light bulb moment), but he not only metamorphosed manufacturing and brought down prices to broaden adoption, he literally transformed transportation, which led to our taken-for-granted modern road networks (worldwide; I grew up on a washboard gravel road in a home with a gravel driveway). He also mechanized agriculture (the buildout goes on, but that's also worldwide), and Ford was an early aircraft manufacturers.

Ford's genius was his maniacal focus on highest quality at lowest cost. It took him a while (c. 7 years), but once he realized the relationship between production volume and economies of scale, it was all over for his competition. He held at one point something like 80% of the worldwide automobile market.

It was only GM's invention of auto financing (GMAC in 1919) that eventually took out the Model T: even though Ford took the base price down to low $200's, with financing consumers preferred a better performing $450+ Chevrolet. Additionally, up until that time, the T held the highest ratio of cost / horsepower, which the Chevrolet eclipsed in 1923/24 as it took over the market.

As for roads, it wasn't the Model T that created them, it was state and federal lobbying by elite motorists clubs who pushed the issue starting in the early 1900s, well before the T had it's impact. (Btw, the vast majority of T's sold were to urban/suburban consumers, not farmers; it was, of course, dominant in rural markets.)

Also, GM introduced a variety of colors in exterior paints, the self-starter, and the automatic transmission, realizing they could sell the car to the husbands by getting the wives on board. Henry's response was the infamous, "Americans will buy any car, as long as it's the Model T, and as long as it's black."

On the Dixie Bee Line (Recorded 1926) | 3:26
Vernon Dalhart - Topic | 444 subscribers | 544 views | November 27, 2015

Hard surface roads began to arrive out here in The Boonies a little before WWI. By arrive, I mean, this township and a neighboring township cooperated and passed a *40 year* millage to build a six mile long, one lane concrete road down the township line. This was to help move (not surprisingly) the products of agricultural activity. My mother once mentioned that the millage finally finished up after my parents got married, and by that time federal and state roadbuilding had taken off. The last bit of the single-lane pavement finally got replaced well after I got my driver’s license.