F O R D
M O T O R
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T H E
P E O P L E
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T Y C O O N
0 5
C H A P T
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The Apprentice and the Quadricycle
Between 1879 and 1896, Henry Ford assembled a true engineering
education — without a single university lecture.
1896
Q U AD R IC YC L E
R U NS
,
J U NE
4
28
T O P
S P EED
,
M IL ES
P ER
H O U R
Meeting
Edison
in
1896
at
a
company
convention
in
New
York
delivered
the
validation
Ford
craved
.
The
two
men
became
lifelong
friends
—
winter
neighbors
in
Fort
Myers
,
Florida
,
and
collaborators
in
the
search
for
a
cheap
electric
car
battery
in
the
1910
s
.
1879–1882:
Apprentice
machinist
in
Detroit
’
s
flower
-
garden
shops
,
first
at
James
F
.
Flower
&
Bros
.,
then
Detroit
Dry
Dock
Company
.
He
learned
to
tool
metals
precisely
and
to
read
drawings
.
1882–1891:
The
“
wandering
years
” —
running
portable
steam
engines
for
Westinghouse
,
repairing
farm
machinery
,
and
returning
to
the
family
farm
between
jobs
.
1891:
Engineer
at
the
Edison
Illuminating
Company
of
Detroit
;
by
1893
he
had
risen
to
chief
engineer
,
earning
enough
to
support
a
wife
and
son
while
experimenting
at
night
.
1893:
A
son
,
Edsel
Bryant
Ford
,
is
born
on
November
6 —
the
only
child
of
Henry
and
Clara
Bryant
Ford
.
1896:
Completes
the
Quadricycle
,
his
first
self
-
propelled
vehicle
—
a
two
-
cylinder
,
four
-
horsepower
machine
on
bicycle
wheels
,
built
in
the
brick
shed
behind
his
rented
Detroit
home
.
“Young man, that’s the thing! You have it. Keep at it.”
T HO MAS
ED IS O N
T O
HENR Y
FO R D
, 18 9 6 —
AS
R EC AL L ED
BY
FO R D
“
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