(b. July 30, 1863; d. April 7, 1947) American industrialist, creator of the first mass-produced automobile.

Technological genius and headline maker, Henry Ford was the creative force behind an industry that changed the culture of the United States. His Model T automobile put Americans on the road. People were no longer isolated on remote farms or in small villages. It was Ford's belief that the car was intended for ordinary people, not exclusively for the wealthy. This most rapid change ever in the lives of average citizens was completed in less than two decades.

Ford was born on a farm himself, near Dearborn, Michigan, on July 30, 1863, one of eight children. By 1893, he had completed his first gasoline engine model. Six years later, with backers, he formed the Detroit Automobile Company, which became the Ford Motor Company. That became the Cadillac Motor Car Company after he left in 1902 to start another...