1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,320 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi there, Welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:11,319 Speaker 1: where we sift through the artifacts of history seven days 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:26,760 Speaker 1: a week. Today is July. The day was July oh three. 5 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: The Ford Motor Company sold its first Ford Model A 6 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: to a Chicago dentist name Ernst Finning. Henry Ford built 7 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:41,159 Speaker 1: the Quadricycle, his first gas powered vehicle. In the Quadricycle 8 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:44,519 Speaker 1: was powered by a four horsepower engine and it's chassis 9 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:48,239 Speaker 1: was a buggy frame mounted on four bicycle wheels. The 10 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,160 Speaker 1: vehicle had a tiller instead of a steering wheel. Ford 11 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,200 Speaker 1: sold his Quadricycle to improve his prototype and finance the 12 00:00:55,240 --> 00:01:00,920 Speaker 1: construction of more vehicles. Ford attracted financial investors with vehicles, 13 00:01:00,960 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: and in eight nine he joined a group that founded 14 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:08,360 Speaker 1: the Detroit Automobile Company, later called the Henry Ford Company. 15 00:01:08,840 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: But while his backers were ready to put an automobile 16 00:01:11,319 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 1: on the market, Ford was focused on improving his models. 17 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,920 Speaker 1: After building several race cars, he left the Henry Ford Company, 18 00:01:19,959 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: which was soon reorganized as the Cadillac Motor Car Company. 19 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:27,720 Speaker 1: In nineteen o three, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated 20 00:01:27,760 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: with the twenty eight thousand dollar cash investment one of 21 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: the company's investors rented a factory building on mac Avenue 22 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 1: in Detroit to Ford, and the company began production on 23 00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:41,080 Speaker 1: the first Ford Model A in the summer of nineteen 24 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,959 Speaker 1: o three, but the company's assets quickly ran out, and 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: by June of nineteen o three there were only three 26 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:52,240 Speaker 1: salaried employees. By mid July, the company was almost out 27 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: of cash, but on July the Ford Motor Company sold 28 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: the Model A to earn spinning for a hundred and 29 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,560 Speaker 1: fifty dollars. The vehicle was sent to finding a little 30 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:05,480 Speaker 1: over a week later. The Model A, designed mainly by 31 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,519 Speaker 1: Ford's assistant see Harold Willis, was big enough for two people, 32 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: It had no top, and had a two cylinder eight 33 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: horsepower engine. It could go up to thirty miles per 34 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: hour or forty eight kilometers per hour. By September, nearly 35 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: two hundred vehicles were produced and sold at the mac 36 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:28,600 Speaker 1: Avenue plant. By October, the company had turned a profit 37 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:32,840 Speaker 1: of thirty seven thousand dollars. The company was doing well. 38 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: Ford even founded his first international plant in Canada in 39 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,920 Speaker 1: nineteen o four, but the company had to keep up 40 00:02:39,960 --> 00:02:43,440 Speaker 1: with competition too. At the time, Oldsmobile was one of 41 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: Ford's biggest competitors, and it was producing more cars than Ford. 42 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: Ford purchased another site in Detroit and built a larger 43 00:02:52,480 --> 00:02:57,400 Speaker 1: factory where more models were assembled. Ford stopped production on 44 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: the Model A in nineteen o four. During the company's 45 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 1: first five years, it produced eight different models. By nineteen 46 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: o eight, the Ford Motor Company was producing a hundred 47 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 1: cars a day. But it was the Model T that 48 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: really brought Ford success. Introduced in nineteen o eight, the 49 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,520 Speaker 1: Model T was a more affordable and reliable vehicle that 50 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:23,239 Speaker 1: was not just a luxury for rich people. It sold 51 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:25,720 Speaker 1: for a hundred and fifty dollars, which was a decent 52 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:29,840 Speaker 1: price but still inaccessible to many workers and disenfranchised people 53 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 1: in the US. The Ford Motor Company built another factory 54 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: and made the assembly line process more efficient, making it 55 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:41,520 Speaker 1: quicker to turn out the Model TS. In nineteen eighteen, 56 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: Henry Ford purchased the newspaper The Dearborn Independent and began 57 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: publishing a series of anti Semitic articles in it. The 58 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 1: papers shut down in seven after a libel lawsuit, but 59 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: while the newspaper ran, Ford sent the newspaper out to 60 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: his dealers and had them conduct subscription campaigns and add 61 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:05,880 Speaker 1: the newspaper to customers purchase of Model TS. Demand for 62 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 1: the Model T was high, and by the time the 63 00:04:08,400 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: last Model T was produced in nineteen seven, Ford had 64 00:04:12,160 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: sold tens of millions of the cars in the US 65 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 1: and abroad. I'm Eves Jeff Coote and hopefully you know 66 00:04:19,080 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 67 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: You can learn more about history by following us on Twitter, Facebook, 68 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:34,480 Speaker 1: and Instagram at T d i h C podcast. Thank 69 00:04:34,520 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: you so much for listening, and I hope to see 70 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: you again tomorrow for more tidbits of history. For more 71 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:53,560 Speaker 1: podcasts for my Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio app, 72 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:56,279 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.