1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, welcome to the podcast. I'm 3 00:00:14,200 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: Sarah Dowdy and I have another special guest with me today, 4 00:00:17,480 --> 00:00:21,280 Speaker 1: this time fellow editor Scott Benjamin. Hello, everybody, thanks for 5 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,079 Speaker 1: joining us. Thank you very much. I appreciate it. For 6 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: those of you who don't already know, Scott is the 7 00:00:26,800 --> 00:00:30,520 Speaker 1: co host of the Car Stuff podcast and podcast you 8 00:00:30,560 --> 00:00:33,720 Speaker 1: may have heard of, just a general automotive expert. To 9 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: i'd say, I appreciate it, thank you. So it goes 10 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,040 Speaker 1: without saying then that Scott is going to be talking 11 00:00:39,200 --> 00:00:44,040 Speaker 1: with us today about an aspect of automotive history. Yeah. Yeah, 12 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,440 Speaker 1: this is you know what. This is a topic that 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: when on the surface, you might not think it's all 14 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,480 Speaker 1: been interesting, you think you know everything about this guy, 15 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: But when you really start to dig deep into it, 16 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: I mean, I think you can attest to this, it 17 00:00:56,400 --> 00:00:59,200 Speaker 1: becomes he becomes very interesting. He's a fascinating guy. And 18 00:00:59,240 --> 00:01:00,600 Speaker 1: I mean, if you have an aready looked at the 19 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: title we're talking about Henry Ford, and I just have 20 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: to point out to I've done a few of these 21 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 1: guest hosts now with Deblinga on maternity leave, and most 22 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:12,240 Speaker 1: people have had a few topics they've considered. But Scott, 23 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: you are sure you wanted to talk about Henry Ford. 24 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 1: And I can really see why now. I mean, he 25 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:21,600 Speaker 1: has a fascinating legacy, certainly we can talk all about that, 26 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 1: but he's also just a weird guy. There's a lot 27 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: of weird stuff to talk about. Yeah, we'll get to 28 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 1: the weird stuff for sure, But you know, he in 29 00:01:29,319 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: some ways normal for you know, normal in a way 30 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,360 Speaker 1: that you know an industrialist would be, if you can 31 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: say that, really, But but then he does kind of 32 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: take a left hand turn somewhere along the way, and um, 33 00:01:42,440 --> 00:01:45,240 Speaker 1: we're gonna explore all aspects of that because there's some 34 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: stuff that I mean, even taking notes, Like I started 35 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:50,080 Speaker 1: to take notes and I realized that I'm getting up 36 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 1: to like ten twelve pages of notes, and I said, 37 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: I've just gotta stop. I'm gonna writing a book about 38 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:57,560 Speaker 1: this guy. If I don't, maybe you can do that 39 00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: after it seems like, you know, he's interesting enough to 40 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: do that. He really is. And I think before we 41 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 1: get too much into the positives of Ford's life and 42 00:02:06,560 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: the negatives, just get a few myths out of the 43 00:02:10,040 --> 00:02:15,240 Speaker 1: way Scott did Henry Ford invent the car? Did he 44 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: invent the moving assembly line? No, he did that all right. 45 00:02:18,320 --> 00:02:20,799 Speaker 1: So how did he get so mixed up with those 46 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:23,800 Speaker 1: two things? Well, because his car, his quadricycle that he 47 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,239 Speaker 1: did build, was built in eight and you've got to 48 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: admit that that's early early on in automotive history. Um, 49 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: that's right around the time when um Carl Bentz was 50 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: putting together his car over in Germany. It's right right 51 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: at the very beginning of the the internal combustion engine 52 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:42,639 Speaker 1: and people with the idea that I'm going to make 53 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 1: a moving vehicle instead of a steam vehicle carriage. Yeah, yeah, So, 54 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,000 Speaker 1: I mean this is early early on. It was not 55 00:02:49,080 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 1: the first, Um, it wasn't the greatest you know at 56 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 1: the time, but it became that way. And um, you know, 57 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:57,000 Speaker 1: he didn't invent the Slumbi line, which he gets a 58 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:58,960 Speaker 1: lot of credit for. I think a lot of people 59 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,360 Speaker 1: say that, you know, thinking that that's the truth, But 60 00:03:01,480 --> 00:03:04,600 Speaker 1: it was actually another name that you'll recognize. His name 61 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:10,040 Speaker 1: is Ransom Eli Olds. Um so Ario is our Oldsmobile 62 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: I'm presuming exactly a Boldsmobile. Um. He actually had an 63 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,520 Speaker 1: a Sumbi line. That wasn't an automated as Sumbi line. Um, 64 00:03:17,560 --> 00:03:21,240 Speaker 1: it was a you know, manufacturing facility for vehicles, of course, 65 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:24,320 Speaker 1: but um he put them together in mass not quite 66 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: as as fast as Henry did, because Henry incorporated moving 67 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:33,600 Speaker 1: belts and um, further automation. He perfected what Ransom Holds 68 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:37,120 Speaker 1: had already created. And that that what you just said, perfecting, 69 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,600 Speaker 1: perfecting the car, or at least making it so it's 70 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:44,360 Speaker 1: something that could be produced on a mass scale, fixed easily, 71 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 1: perfecting the assembly line. That's why we're still talking about 72 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:50,600 Speaker 1: for today. That's what made his name, that's what made 73 00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:54,400 Speaker 1: his legacy, and we'll go into all of that more. Um. 74 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: But that perfection also certainly extended to other aspects of 75 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 1: his life, and that I think is a little bit 76 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: responsible for some of the weirder forward story. Very eccentric. 77 00:04:05,160 --> 00:04:09,480 Speaker 1: He's a he's a perfectionist. He's kind of a tyrant sometimes. Um, 78 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:12,280 Speaker 1: he's pretty famous now, I mean this comes up a 79 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,400 Speaker 1: lot more now. He's well known as being anti Semitic. 80 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,640 Speaker 1: There are some some shady sides of the story. You 81 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: said anti semitic. I've bet a lot of people are 82 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:22,960 Speaker 1: raising the river brows because they had never heard of it. 83 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:24,720 Speaker 1: They've never heard of it. It's it's it is kind 84 00:04:24,760 --> 00:04:27,839 Speaker 1: of a more recent thing you'll hear with Ford's legacy. 85 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:30,720 Speaker 1: He's not quite the folk hero that I think he 86 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: must have been during his own day. True, you want to, like, 87 00:04:33,760 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: you want to start at the very beginning with this guy. Yeah, 88 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: let's start. How did how did he get going? How 89 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: did he take these ideas that other people were thinking 90 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 1: of but make them into something well revolutionary? You know 91 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,279 Speaker 1: he was. He was kind of a tinkerer, you know. 92 00:04:46,320 --> 00:04:49,800 Speaker 1: He he started out really, you know, in a humble situation. 93 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: He was a farm boy from Detroit, born in the 94 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:54,240 Speaker 1: middle of the Civil War. One of those things that 95 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:57,640 Speaker 1: just it's hard to wrap your mind around. Almost born 96 00:04:57,640 --> 00:05:00,320 Speaker 1: in the Civil War, died in the nineteen forty such 97 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:02,920 Speaker 1: a different world, Yeah, exactly. Yeah, And you can imagine 98 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:05,839 Speaker 1: the world that he started life in and then what 99 00:05:05,920 --> 00:05:07,680 Speaker 1: it ended up to be, you know, in the late 100 00:05:07,720 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: forties when he when he passed away, Um, how dramatically 101 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:13,880 Speaker 1: different it was. And it was because of his inventions. Yeah, 102 00:05:13,920 --> 00:05:16,919 Speaker 1: it's it's thanks apart to him, exactly, It's it's almost 103 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,599 Speaker 1: entirely to him. Really in some ways. Um, but yeah. 104 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:22,680 Speaker 1: He he was born just outside of Detroit on a 105 00:05:22,760 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: on a farm. Uh, spent about fifteen years there. I'd say, um, 106 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:29,680 Speaker 1: and then that's this is weird, Like these little key 107 00:05:29,720 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: events lead to the person that Henry became. His dad 108 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,719 Speaker 1: gave him a watch, and of course, you know, I 109 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:38,200 Speaker 1: think a lot of boys do this, They just tear 110 00:05:38,200 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: it apart find out what made it work. But he 111 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,240 Speaker 1: was able to put it back together and tear it 112 00:05:41,240 --> 00:05:43,120 Speaker 1: apart and put it back together, and he got to 113 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: know the inner workings of the machinery. And he really 114 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:48,039 Speaker 1: liked machinery. Um. I think even locally he would, you know, 115 00:05:48,080 --> 00:05:50,359 Speaker 1: work on other people's watches. He became kind of a 116 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: local repairman what they said, right, So that aside, you know, 117 00:05:55,120 --> 00:05:58,760 Speaker 1: he had this interest in machinery. He his mother died 118 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:00,720 Speaker 1: when he was relatively young. I think he was about 119 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:03,479 Speaker 1: sixteen when she died, and his father was kind of 120 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: stunned that he was leaving the farm, and he said, well, 121 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,040 Speaker 1: I was only really hanging around because I love my mother. 122 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: And his dad was shocked by this, but he did leave. 123 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:12,679 Speaker 1: He went to become an apprentice at a machine shop 124 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,280 Speaker 1: in Detroit to Detroit. Yeah, which is crazy. I mean 125 00:06:16,279 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: I understand, you know, you're just you know walking there 126 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,920 Speaker 1: with you know nothing really the clothes in your back 127 00:06:21,960 --> 00:06:23,720 Speaker 1: and saying, you know, I want to start a new 128 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:28,480 Speaker 1: life here. So he walked to Detroit, becomes a machinists apprentice. Um. 129 00:06:28,480 --> 00:06:31,160 Speaker 1: He also worked at a dry dock facility which is 130 00:06:31,200 --> 00:06:33,280 Speaker 1: on Atwater Street in Detroit. You can still go down 131 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:35,719 Speaker 1: to this dry dock facility there. There's a brewery down 132 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:38,000 Speaker 1: there now that I've been to a few times. Um. 133 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: And then he eventually you know, went back to the farm, 134 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: helped out his dad, but kind of got you know 135 00:06:44,160 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 1: involved in the steam machines that were on the farm 136 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 1: because that was when he took his tinkering up a knock. 137 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:52,640 Speaker 1: This is this is not new technology, but it's technology, 138 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: and you know maybe it was new to his farm, 139 00:06:54,839 --> 00:06:58,680 Speaker 1: but he really enjoyed the steam machines and um, you 140 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:00,280 Speaker 1: know decided that, you know, maybe this is something I 141 00:07:00,320 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: want to want to pursue. And he actually went to 142 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:08,360 Speaker 1: Westinghouse in their steam engine division and became a serviceman 143 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: and like a repairman for them. UM. So you know 144 00:07:11,160 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: that just kind of keeps his this this uh, this 145 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,040 Speaker 1: not humble beginnings, but it is in a way, it's 146 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: humble begins. He was very fascinated with machinery and how 147 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:25,480 Speaker 1: things worked. Yeah, not not looking to be a farm boy. 148 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: Al is like, yeah, exactly, So, yeah, you were mentioning. 149 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:33,000 Speaker 1: He's still tinkering at home, and he builds this farm locomotive, 150 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,480 Speaker 1: which is essentially an engine attached to a mowing machine, 151 00:07:36,600 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: kind of a prototype tractor. And then he goes back 152 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: to Detroit and he gets a different kind of job, 153 00:07:41,920 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: one that you're not really you're not expecting him to 154 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,360 Speaker 1: take this track. He goes to work for the Edison Company, 155 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,120 Speaker 1: and of course Thomas Edison is a great hero of 156 00:07:50,280 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: his remains a hero of bit throughout his life. But 157 00:07:53,640 --> 00:07:57,440 Speaker 1: his new job with Edison Company was to supervise the 158 00:07:57,480 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: electrical service, you know, to make sure everything was running operly. 159 00:08:00,800 --> 00:08:03,240 Speaker 1: So it meant that he was always on call. And 160 00:08:03,240 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: if you're always on call, of course you have a 161 00:08:05,640 --> 00:08:08,360 Speaker 1: lot of downtime and for four and he's not just 162 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 1: whiling aways hours, he's still tinkering. He's working on new inventions. Yeah, yeah, 163 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: we're talking like eighteen ninety two, ninety three, something like 164 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: that by he was promoted to chief engineer of of uh, 165 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: the Edison Illuminating Company. I said that weird Edison Illuminating company, 166 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: you know, and with Thomas Edison at the helm, and 167 00:08:29,680 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 1: he had all this time and money, like you said, 168 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: and he starts tinkering in his grudge and he builds 169 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:36,839 Speaker 1: the quad recycle. Oddly enough, now he was working. He 170 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:40,679 Speaker 1: was fascinated with um internal combustion engines, and he made 171 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: this little, tiny, single cylinder motor that he built on 172 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:46,080 Speaker 1: his his kitchen table. How many businesses start on your 173 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: kitchen table? A lot of them, do, I think? Actually 174 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,080 Speaker 1: this one did. Yeah. Um, So he builds this this engine. 175 00:08:52,120 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: He says, well, why don't I put it? And he 176 00:08:53,360 --> 00:08:56,280 Speaker 1: called it the quad recycle because it had bicycle tires. Um, 177 00:08:56,360 --> 00:08:59,040 Speaker 1: he just made a really crude body for this thing, 178 00:08:59,080 --> 00:09:01,920 Speaker 1: but built in his garage and and finally got the 179 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,240 Speaker 1: thing on the road in eighteen nine and was just 180 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,440 Speaker 1: thrilled with the results. You know, he's thirty three years 181 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,959 Speaker 1: old at this point. Um. You know he's he's the 182 00:09:09,040 --> 00:09:12,720 Speaker 1: chief engineer at this company run by Edison. Um. He 183 00:09:12,760 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: went to a I think it was a seminar, wasn't 184 00:09:14,679 --> 00:09:17,760 Speaker 1: he went to seminar in New York, met Thomas Edison himself, 185 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: that you know, the president of the company, and Edison 186 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 1: encouraged him to continue on with his work because he was, 187 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: you know, beaming about his his latest invention. And Edison, yeah, 188 00:09:27,720 --> 00:09:29,400 Speaker 1: he said, yeah, stick with it. That's something that you 189 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: know kindred soul. Yeah exactly. Well, and Edison is always 190 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:38,040 Speaker 1: looking for new projects exactly. Yeah. So um, anyways, he 191 00:09:38,040 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: he said, stick with it, you know, that's the thing, 192 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:41,800 Speaker 1: that's the thing to go for. And and Henry actually 193 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 1: built two or three of these prototype vehicles. Now what 194 00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:47,400 Speaker 1: I found really interesting about these prototypes of his and 195 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,320 Speaker 1: something because of course other people were building machines like 196 00:09:50,360 --> 00:09:53,200 Speaker 1: this too at the time. He would sell them. So 197 00:09:53,240 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: when he finished one, he would sell it to finance 198 00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 1: his next project, whereas the other guy might just think, 199 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:01,959 Speaker 1: I built this amazing machine. I'm going to hold onto 200 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 1: it and show everybody. Yes, So that first quadricycle, if 201 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:08,080 Speaker 1: you can imagine what that's worth, Henry Ford's first car. 202 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:10,320 Speaker 1: He sold it for two hundred dollars to some guy. 203 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if you lived down the road or what, 204 00:10:12,520 --> 00:10:14,560 Speaker 1: but he sold it for two hundred dollars, and then 205 00:10:14,559 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: he built two more, and then he decided that he 206 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:18,960 Speaker 1: wanted to buy back the original, so he owns the 207 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: original and then eventually, you know, now it's on display 208 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:24,040 Speaker 1: in the Henry Ford Museum. Well it's good. He rescued 209 00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,679 Speaker 1: it from obscurity exactly. But you're right in a strange 210 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:28,719 Speaker 1: for him to part with that first invention, well, kind 211 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,320 Speaker 1: of a shrewd decision though. I mean, clearly he was 212 00:10:31,400 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: thinking about the future, about what he was going to 213 00:10:34,200 --> 00:10:36,840 Speaker 1: build next. He needs some money, I guess, yeah. But 214 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: that perfectionism that we keep on mentioning um deciding to 215 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,000 Speaker 1: sell his invention to go on to build a better one. 216 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,160 Speaker 1: That really defines the next stage of his career because 217 00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:52,120 Speaker 1: in he has enough interest in his work in enough 218 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: backers to form the Detroit Automobile Company, which was eventually 219 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 1: the Henry Ford Company, and he essentially was dumped by 220 00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,680 Speaker 1: his investors because he was still infested with the tinkering stage. 221 00:11:04,760 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: He wasn't ready to say, all right, let's just get 222 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 1: this car to market. You know, I'm ready to go 223 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,400 Speaker 1: on it. He wanted to make something better. He was 224 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,160 Speaker 1: he was almost like, I want to build this by hand. Myself. 225 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,120 Speaker 1: That was his his mentality, you know. And you know this, 226 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: this is where he paired up with a cat named 227 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,760 Speaker 1: William William H. Murphy, and Murphy was a wealthy investor, 228 00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: and they, like he said, they formed that company. You 229 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: know that that company, though, was out of business six 230 00:11:28,080 --> 00:11:31,440 Speaker 1: months later, and that's because of this dispute between Murphy 231 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:33,160 Speaker 1: and Ford and how things were going to be running 232 00:11:33,160 --> 00:11:34,920 Speaker 1: and it just didn't work out. And you know, there 233 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:37,520 Speaker 1: were we just talked about this recently on car stuff 234 00:11:37,520 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 1: as a matter of fact, but there were hundreds and 235 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: hundreds and hundreds of defunct car companies and rather the 236 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,720 Speaker 1: car companies that went defunct in just in the United 237 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,040 Speaker 1: States in this timeframe. So, um, it wasn't unusual for 238 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,199 Speaker 1: somebody to start up a car company with really nothing, 239 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:54,360 Speaker 1: just more than a garage and an idea. And um, 240 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:56,480 Speaker 1: I don't even know if they actually produced any vehicles 241 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: or not. I mean in six months, I don't see 242 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:00,440 Speaker 1: how they could have probably just a plan in stage 243 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,199 Speaker 1: at that point. But they did, as you said, went 244 00:12:03,200 --> 00:12:06,199 Speaker 1: on to h to create the Henry Ford Company. So 245 00:12:06,320 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 1: here's the company. And again this is what's odd to 246 00:12:09,240 --> 00:12:12,559 Speaker 1: me again with Murphy as a backer, so he was 247 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:14,280 Speaker 1: willing to stick with him for a little bit longer. 248 00:12:14,320 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 1: I don't know what happened there, Like what happened They 249 00:12:16,320 --> 00:12:18,319 Speaker 1: shut down one company after six months, and then they 250 00:12:18,320 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: opened up again with Henry Ford's name on the on 251 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: the marquee um with Murphy back, and I thought that 252 00:12:24,160 --> 00:12:27,440 Speaker 1: was strange, but um, I guess again they butted heads 253 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:30,440 Speaker 1: and Ford decided that the products were too expensive and 254 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:33,679 Speaker 1: just not what he wanted to produce. UM, so he 255 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:35,720 Speaker 1: dumped out of the company, took his name along with 256 00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:38,880 Speaker 1: him and Murphy. This is this is interesting. I think 257 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:43,560 Speaker 1: Murphy renamed the company Cadillac Automobile Company. So they managed 258 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,800 Speaker 1: to have some staying power too. I think they're doing 259 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: okay even without for Yeah, yeah, they're they're doing all 260 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:52,760 Speaker 1: right even to today. Ford meanwhile went off to eventually 261 00:12:53,040 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 1: start a second company, although at this point he had 262 00:12:56,280 --> 00:13:00,320 Speaker 1: already raised capital from Detroit's wealthy citizens and they weren't 263 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: really ready to sponsor him again after the last debacle, 264 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:06,319 Speaker 1: So this time he was raising money from more just 265 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 1: ordinary folks, and he started the Ford Motor Company. I 266 00:13:09,880 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: think it was incorporated in nineteen oh three, and he 267 00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 1: didn't feel how he did anymore, you know about let me, 268 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:17,640 Speaker 1: let me tinker and tinker, I'm not ready to go 269 00:13:17,720 --> 00:13:19,960 Speaker 1: to market. He had a he had a product. This 270 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 1: time he was ready to go yeah. Yeah, And you know, 271 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: just prior to that, he was one of his manufacturers. 272 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,480 Speaker 1: Actually I'm sorry, one of his uh backers actually had 273 00:13:28,520 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: his name in there in there as well. Henry changed 274 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:32,640 Speaker 1: the name in nineteen o three because it was originally 275 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: called Ford and Malcolmson Company. And Malcolmson, I guess, was 276 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:39,640 Speaker 1: a coal merchant in Detroit. He was a dealer of 277 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,079 Speaker 1: some kind of coal dealer, which is you know, it's 278 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:47,200 Speaker 1: not a profession really in Detroit anymore. But so he 279 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:49,319 Speaker 1: and and one of the other investors this surprise the 280 00:13:49,360 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: heck at me. It was the Dodge brothers. The Dodge 281 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:54,680 Speaker 1: brothers were some of the initial investors. And we're talking 282 00:13:54,679 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: about you know, John and Horse Dodge of you know Dodge, 283 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: well Dodge that we see now, yeah, exactly, Dodge of Dodge. Um. 284 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:05,720 Speaker 1: They actually invested in the original Ford Motor Company. So 285 00:14:05,720 --> 00:14:07,520 Speaker 1: so you know, by nineteen o three when it's just 286 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:09,840 Speaker 1: Ford Motor Company, that's kind of telling that, you know, 287 00:14:09,880 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 1: Henry's starting to you know, push his way around a 288 00:14:12,679 --> 00:14:14,880 Speaker 1: little bit, and we'll come back to the Dodge Brothers 289 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: and in a minute. But with this new company, in 290 00:14:17,679 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 1: nineteen o eight, Ford launched the Model T, which he called, 291 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: quote a motor car for the great multitude. And I 292 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:27,840 Speaker 1: think most people, I mean maybe we've even seen a 293 00:14:27,920 --> 00:14:30,880 Speaker 1: Model T. You see him around every now and then. Um, 294 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: but do you want to give a description because I'm 295 00:14:33,120 --> 00:14:35,480 Speaker 1: sure you know maybe some of our international audiences and 296 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:38,520 Speaker 1: it's familiar with the Model T. Just I mean, it 297 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: essentially looks like a black box on wheels. But what 298 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: made it so remarkable at this time. What's remarkable was 299 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:47,320 Speaker 1: that it was affordable. That's probably the biggest thing it say. 300 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 1: It was the everyman's car here in the United States. 301 00:14:49,920 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: Now there's a there's a counterpart to that in in 302 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:54,920 Speaker 1: Europe that we'll talk about later, But um, this was 303 00:14:54,960 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: the every man's car in the United States. Um. It's 304 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 1: really very very simple in design. Um, and you'll find that, 305 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:02,560 Speaker 1: you know, if you look at a Model T, it's 306 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:06,320 Speaker 1: not it doesn't have a lot of frills to it. 307 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: It's very simple. Like you mentioned, Um, you said, it's 308 00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:11,320 Speaker 1: the box on wheels. It's true and mostly you'll see 309 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:13,680 Speaker 1: them in black. And there's an infamous quote, you know 310 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:15,240 Speaker 1: from him, you know you could have any color as 311 00:15:15,280 --> 00:15:18,880 Speaker 1: long as it's black. That was made around nineteen fourteen, 312 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:22,200 Speaker 1: so we're talking about six years into production. And production 313 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:24,360 Speaker 1: went from nineteen o eight to nineteen twenty seven, so 314 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 1: you know, there's a good significant amount of time when 315 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,160 Speaker 1: it was only made in black. From the factory prior 316 00:15:30,200 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: to that point, you could actually get them in several 317 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:33,560 Speaker 1: different colors, which I don't think a lot of people 318 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:35,320 Speaker 1: know you can get and there's a lot of different 319 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: colors you can get. Um, so that was I'm sure 320 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,760 Speaker 1: it was a cost saving, you know, measure at that 321 00:15:40,800 --> 00:15:43,040 Speaker 1: point when you decided we're just a lot of paint 322 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:45,440 Speaker 1: exactly where painting every one of these things black. There's 323 00:15:45,440 --> 00:15:47,720 Speaker 1: gonna be no custom orders at this point. Um. And 324 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: they sold get this, They sold for eight and twenty 325 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: five dollars initially in nineteen o eight, which is about 326 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: two dollars, so that's not terribly cheap, but it's on 327 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:59,040 Speaker 1: the low end, Okay, I mean, if you're if you're 328 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,840 Speaker 1: going into like today's money, Um, by the time you 329 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 1: got around to I'm sorry by nineteen sixteen, when sales 330 00:16:07,760 --> 00:16:12,000 Speaker 1: were approaching like five thousand per year, this became wildly popular. 331 00:16:12,720 --> 00:16:15,320 Speaker 1: Prices went down all the way down to about three 332 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: and sixty dollars, and that's only like around seven thousand, 333 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,640 Speaker 1: maybe eight thousand dollars today. So you can see where 334 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:25,600 Speaker 1: you know, this would be very very appealing an economy car, 335 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: extremely appealing for everybody, and and it put the nation 336 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: on wheels. And this is such as they comparison. But 337 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:33,520 Speaker 1: I had to think of like if you got to 338 00:16:33,560 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: Ikea and you see a walk or something and you 339 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,000 Speaker 1: bought it last year and it was eight dollars and 340 00:16:38,040 --> 00:16:40,720 Speaker 1: now it's four dollars, and you think, how did they 341 00:16:40,760 --> 00:16:44,040 Speaker 1: do that? The walk is exactly the same. Henry Ford 342 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 1: figured out a way to scale his production. Yeah, this 343 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:49,920 Speaker 1: is the this is the thing about the assembly line. 344 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: This is so this is where I'm getting excited now. 345 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: This is this is where he would watch the Sumbi lines. 346 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:57,080 Speaker 1: He would he would have people that watched it. He 347 00:16:57,080 --> 00:17:00,080 Speaker 1: would do it himself, but he would perfect and and 348 00:17:00,600 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 1: shave corners here and there wherever he could and just 349 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,919 Speaker 1: make things more efficient in in tiny, tiny, little incremental ways. 350 00:17:07,040 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: And that brought about savings and he did, he truly did. 351 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:11,679 Speaker 1: I mean you could see in the pricing. He passed 352 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,840 Speaker 1: those savings onto his his sales base. And he knew 353 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: that if he could, you know, if he could drop 354 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,639 Speaker 1: the price of the vehicle, he would sell more vehicles. 355 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:21,280 Speaker 1: He was very shrewd about this. You know, he still 356 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:23,359 Speaker 1: was making a profit. He knew that if he could 357 00:17:23,400 --> 00:17:26,439 Speaker 1: increase his sales. And sometimes this is astounding when you 358 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,159 Speaker 1: think about it now, sometimes his sales numbers for the 359 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:33,520 Speaker 1: Model T year over year were more than increases from 360 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:37,520 Speaker 1: the year prior, which if he has an untapped market, 361 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: people who have no car, yeah, no car, would never 362 00:17:41,800 --> 00:17:43,720 Speaker 1: have been able to buy a car, even the year 363 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: before when his prices were very slightly higher. It's now 364 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,720 Speaker 1: within their reason. And if you if you don't anything 365 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: about the Model T um in addition to just that 366 00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:54,879 Speaker 1: it was great, you know, get around town type vehicle 367 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,479 Speaker 1: or get out to the country vehicle. People would use 368 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,480 Speaker 1: these as as stationary motors on now we talked about 369 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:04,040 Speaker 1: the the steam engine the knee had, you know, on 370 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 1: the farm, that was exactly the mowing machine. People would 371 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:10,200 Speaker 1: buy a Model T and they would attach auxiliary belts 372 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: to them. They would you know, they would drive saw mills, 373 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,960 Speaker 1: they would use them as snowplows, they would um everything, 374 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: anything and everything you could do with it with a motor. 375 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,040 Speaker 1: They would use them to power power the house. Um. 376 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 1: It was just it was a way to get elected. 377 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:27,600 Speaker 1: It was like almost a way to get electricity. It 378 00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: was like a generator. Yeah, in a way, all purpose, 379 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:33,120 Speaker 1: and you could drive it out to get more fuel 380 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:35,000 Speaker 1: if you needed to. It was it was an incredible 381 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:37,400 Speaker 1: machine and really opened a lot of people's eyes. Well, 382 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: and you were talking about this a minute ago, saying, 383 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: you know, this way for people to get up and 384 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: go get up and go to the country wherever. It 385 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:47,120 Speaker 1: really did start to change how people thought about the country, 386 00:18:47,160 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 1: how people thought about their lives. People who travel would 387 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:54,200 Speaker 1: have been far beyond their reach just a few years earlier, 388 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:56,679 Speaker 1: suddenly felt like they could go anywhere. And that in 389 00:18:56,760 --> 00:18:59,800 Speaker 1: turn changed just the way cities were made up and 390 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,919 Speaker 1: its suburbs possible. It made for huge development booms in 391 00:19:04,040 --> 00:19:10,880 Speaker 1: California and Florida in the nineteen twenties. It affected industries oil, glass, steel, um. 392 00:19:11,160 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: You were talking about timber earlier. UM, and even change 393 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: things like agriculture. I had never thought about it like this. 394 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:21,920 Speaker 1: But with so fewer horses needed, with all these cars, 395 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: you needed less acreage devoted to hay crops. And imagine 396 00:19:27,040 --> 00:19:29,960 Speaker 1: the sanitary conditions in the city. Um, how how much 397 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:32,240 Speaker 1: more sanitary it is to have And I know they're 398 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:36,639 Speaker 1: burning fuel, I understand that, but um, versus having a horse, 399 00:19:37,280 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: you can understand what I'm talking about. We can get 400 00:19:39,240 --> 00:19:42,199 Speaker 1: the pictures there exactly. I've heard stories of you know, 401 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,440 Speaker 1: horses being just left dead in the streets in Chicago 402 00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:48,720 Speaker 1: or major cities, and that's the kind of conditions that 403 00:19:48,760 --> 00:19:52,399 Speaker 1: you know, he was trying to change, and he did dramatically, 404 00:19:52,520 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: and even thinking about people, Um, I don't know, just 405 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,760 Speaker 1: your your personal life. I've always learned about Ford in 406 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:03,000 Speaker 1: conjunction with the American teenager and you know, being able 407 00:20:03,040 --> 00:20:06,119 Speaker 1: to have your bow instead of come visiting you and 408 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: your parents parlor, go out for a drive or something, 409 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:13,639 Speaker 1: just dramatically shaking up the social fabric of the United States. 410 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: And we'll talk about that a little bit more too, 411 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,440 Speaker 1: because some of that came to bother Henry Ford. Eventually, 412 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:21,919 Speaker 1: you know what else? It shook up his bank account? 413 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:25,320 Speaker 1: Did he became the wealthiest man what you know what 414 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,560 Speaker 1: I'm gonna say, not the wealthiest. I think Rockefeller was 415 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: the wealthiest. I believe he was number two in line, 416 00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: but the wealthy, the second wealthiest man in America, if 417 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: not in the world at that point. Um. He became 418 00:20:35,640 --> 00:20:39,040 Speaker 1: part of what they called the Millionaires Club, which hard 419 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: to imagine. You know, this this fifteen year old who 420 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,919 Speaker 1: walked to Detroit and to become an apprentice. It was 421 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: now in this millionaires Club with his old pal Thomas 422 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:53,760 Speaker 1: Edison and Harvey Firestone. Harvey Firestone is Firestone tires, Um, 423 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:56,679 Speaker 1: you know, the rubber entire company. Um. But these guys, 424 00:20:56,720 --> 00:20:58,399 Speaker 1: they were they were pals. You know, these are the 425 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:02,159 Speaker 1: three absolute head of American industry at the time. So 426 00:21:02,200 --> 00:21:03,520 Speaker 1: you can imagine what it was like when the three 427 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 1: these guys got together. Um, crazy times. I'm sure they 428 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:11,439 Speaker 1: would go hunting and fishing and you know, they work together. 429 00:21:11,680 --> 00:21:17,240 Speaker 1: They vacationed together, they had winter estates and Fort Meyers together. Um. 430 00:21:17,280 --> 00:21:19,400 Speaker 1: You know, they called them that, you know, the Millionaires Club, 431 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:22,240 Speaker 1: because they would all they were genuinely friends. It's kind 432 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,680 Speaker 1: of a brain trust exactly. Yeah. Yeah, So it was 433 00:21:24,760 --> 00:21:26,600 Speaker 1: kind of an interesting, you know turn that he's now 434 00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:31,160 Speaker 1: in this this extreme, extremely different lifestyle. But we should 435 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: talk to you a little bit about how he gets 436 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: to that real upper level. Because in the middle of 437 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,240 Speaker 1: his growth, when his company is doing really well, the 438 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:43,240 Speaker 1: model t is selling well, he's ready to expand hugely 439 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,000 Speaker 1: to to the size that he eventually does. But some 440 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:49,240 Speaker 1: of his shareholders that the Ford Motor Company, are not 441 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 1: interested in that because it seems like it might not 442 00:21:52,800 --> 00:21:56,160 Speaker 1: pay off. It seems like the shareholders might not make 443 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:59,159 Speaker 1: money initially, and so we we said to remember the 444 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,119 Speaker 1: Dodge brothers. Finally, the Dodge brothers, who are two of 445 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:06,440 Speaker 1: his shareholders, took him to court over his plan to expand. 446 00:22:06,880 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: They won because I think the judge ruled, well, it 447 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: is your job to make your shareholders some money, um. 448 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:17,800 Speaker 1: And Ford was was furious about this, that his his 449 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:22,800 Speaker 1: idea could be manipulated by his shareholders and decided to 450 00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: find a way out of that, essentially to get complete control. Yeah, 451 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: so he took matters into his own hands, and he 452 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: pretty much took control of the company. And when I 453 00:22:30,680 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 1: say it took control, I mean he really took control. 454 00:22:33,200 --> 00:22:37,400 Speaker 1: He reorganized, he completely reorganized it. And you know there's 455 00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: there's like a little story here that I read in Time. 456 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:42,199 Speaker 1: I think it was in Time magazine. I'm trying to 457 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: remember back to something I read a long time ago. 458 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,600 Speaker 1: But the basic, basic part of the story was this 459 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:48,640 Speaker 1: that you know, this is an employee in old time 460 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 1: now and this is from the nineties seventies, I think so. 461 00:22:52,400 --> 00:22:54,920 Speaker 1: But but back you know, when Harry Ford was making 462 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:57,600 Speaker 1: just a pile of cash on the on the Model 463 00:22:57,640 --> 00:23:00,399 Speaker 1: T and it was wildly successful. He couldn't really at 464 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: that point imagine, you know, varying from that that design 465 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:05,919 Speaker 1: was making in money. That was that was what worked. 466 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: And you know the refinements that were being made were 467 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: nothing more than cosmetic at that no designing a new 468 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,119 Speaker 1: car entire no, exactly. So Ford walks into the story 469 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,240 Speaker 1: is from this old timer that you know he was there. 470 00:23:20,880 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: Um Ford walks into this design studio and the engineers 471 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: have and I don't know how this happens, but they 472 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: surprised him with a with a prototype of what the 473 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:33,680 Speaker 1: new Model T should look like. I'm imagining one of 474 00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,640 Speaker 1: the big red bows on top. I'm sure, yeah, exactly, 475 00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,959 Speaker 1: But he was he kind of, you know, looked at 476 00:23:39,960 --> 00:23:41,679 Speaker 1: the vehicle and he paced around it, and he was, 477 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:43,560 Speaker 1: you know, kind of steaming within. You know, you could 478 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,199 Speaker 1: tell he wasn't happy with it. Um. So they had created, 479 00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,639 Speaker 1: they tried to perfect his design, and he didn't like that. 480 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: He opened one of the doors and ripped it off 481 00:23:53,080 --> 00:23:56,040 Speaker 1: the hinges with his bare hands. He got in the car, 482 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: he kicked out the windshield. He I mean, he just 483 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:01,280 Speaker 1: destroyed every bit of that car. I mean, by hand. 484 00:24:01,280 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: I mean the rage. Can you imagine, It's almost like, 485 00:24:03,480 --> 00:24:05,040 Speaker 1: you know, when you hear these stories of like the 486 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:07,719 Speaker 1: mother that lets the car off the child or tears 487 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:10,720 Speaker 1: the inner strength exactly. It was. It was just like this, 488 00:24:10,840 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: this rage, you know, drove him to this, this incredible 489 00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,199 Speaker 1: superhuman strength, and he destroyed by hand this car that 490 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: these guys have made and telling them all the time, 491 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:21,760 Speaker 1: you know, we're yelling at them, screaming at them, uh 492 00:24:21,800 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: you know why it wouldn't work and what was bad 493 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:27,080 Speaker 1: about this? And they never ever brought it up again. Okay, 494 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:29,600 Speaker 1: So I think at that point some warning bells are 495 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:32,520 Speaker 1: probably going off for people. This is a clear turning 496 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:35,560 Speaker 1: point in the story, um, the story of Ford's life. 497 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:39,600 Speaker 1: Tearing off the car doors, I mean, come on, that's 498 00:24:39,680 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: just something an unhinged person does symbolic it is. So 499 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:48,560 Speaker 1: that is clearly the perfect point to leave off on 500 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 1: this first part of our episode. Um, and next time 501 00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:53,920 Speaker 1: we're gonna be getting into some of the stranger's stuff too, 502 00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:58,000 Speaker 1: but also some of the Ford nostalgia to not just 503 00:24:58,080 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: the board control. Um, and one of our old favorite 504 00:25:02,240 --> 00:25:04,680 Speaker 1: episodes is going to come up to for Land. Yah. Yeah, 505 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:05,960 Speaker 1: you know what, I'm not gonna let it gets a 506 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: little weird. Ef it does get pretty weird. I mean 507 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:11,840 Speaker 1: that's a good thing though, So stay tuned until then. Um. 508 00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,639 Speaker 1: If you want to email us with some more forward 509 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:17,320 Speaker 1: related history, I mean, don't go too crazy, because we're 510 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:19,480 Speaker 1: gonna be talking about a lot more stuff next time. 511 00:25:19,880 --> 00:25:22,840 Speaker 1: You can find us at History Podcast at Discovery dot com. 512 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,400 Speaker 1: We're also on Twitter at Miston History, and we are 513 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:29,439 Speaker 1: on Facebook and we have loads of auto articles about 514 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 1: old cars, current cars, all sorts of things and everything. 515 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 1: Got at its most of it. They'll go check it out. 516 00:25:35,280 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: All of it is on our homepage at www dot house. 517 00:25:38,480 --> 00:25:45,040 Speaker 1: Stuff learns dot com for more on this and thousands 518 00:25:45,080 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 1: of other topics. Does it how stuff works dot com.