Henry Ford
Model T, Assembly Line, American Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Leo
Henry Ford did not invent the automobile — but he did something more Leo: he made it available to everyone. The moving assembly line cut the cost of a Model T from $825 to $260 and created the American middle class as a consequence of a business decision. He doubled worker wages to $5 a day not from charity but because he understood that workers needed to afford the cars they built.
Leo Legacy
- Model T: 15 million sold — the first truly affordable automobile, democratizing transportation
- Assembly line: Revolutionized manufacturing across every industry worldwide
- $5 workday: 1914 — doubled wages, inadvertently created the American consumer middle class
- River Rouge Complex: The most sophisticated industrial facility in human history at time of construction
Ford’s Leo vision was not just a car company — it was a new social order built around mobility.
“Whether you think you can or you think you cannot, you are right.”