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Henry Ford was an American industrialist and inventor who founded the Ford Motor Company and revolutionized the automobile industry with his mass production methods, and is credited with making cars affordable for the masses. He is best known for creating the Model T, the first car that was accessible to millions of Americans [1][2][4]. He was a visionary leader who had a profound impact on the economic and social development of the United States of America [1][2][4].

Ford was born on July 30, 1863, in Springwells Township, Michigan [1][2][4]. He left his father’s farm at age 16 to work as a machinist in Detroit, where he encountered the internal combustion engine for the first time. He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903, after several failed attempts at starting his own business. Ford launched the Model T in 1908, which sold over 15 million units by 1927 and became one of the most popular cars in history [1][2][4].

Henry Ford implemented the moving assembly line in 1913, which reduced the assembly time of a car from 12 hours to 93 minutes [1][2][4]. Ford paid his workers $5 per day, twice the average wage at the time, and introduced the five-day workweek in 1926. He was a pacifist who opposed U.S. involvement in World War I and World War II, but later became a major supplier of military vehicles and equipment for the Allies [1][2][4]. He was an avid collector of Americana and built a museum complex called The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, to showcase his historical artifacts and inventions [1][2][4].

Ford was also interested in agriculture, aviation, education, philanthropy, and social engineering. He supported various causes and projects, such as the Ford Foundation, the Ford Hospital, the Ford Airplane Company, and the Fordlandia rubber plantation in Brazil [1][2][4]. Being a controversial figure who faced criticism for his anti-Semitic views, Ford's autocratic management style, his opposition to labor unions, and his involvement in a violent incident known as the Battle of the Overpass [1][2][4]. Henry Ford passed away on April 7, 1947, in Dearborn, Michigan [1][2][4].