Henry Ford and Thomas Edison

Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were good friends throughout their lives. When Henry Ford was working in Detroit after marrying his wife Clara Ford, Henry Ford worked for the Edison illuminating Company. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison shared a common interest. Both Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were inventors and it was said that Thomas Edison was the one who most encouraged Henry Ford to use the combustion engine in the making of a car. Later it was a favorite pastime for Henry Ford and Thomas Edison to hop into Henry Ford's Model T and go off on picnics in the countryside.

Thomas Edison

Henry Ford was a tall and slim man, with sharp features, a somewhat gawky body, and a shrewd expression. Although Henry Ford had a brilliant mind, those who knew him say he worked almost intuitively. Henry Ford seemed to have an innate sense of how things worked and how they could be improved.

At the time Henry Ford began his work on a horseless carriage, there were already a few gasoline cars puttering around America. But the cars were poorly built, exceedingly expensive, and considered novelties for the very rich. Henry Ford's dream was different - he wanted to build a car that was sturdy, inexpensive, and useful. Henry Ford wanted a car for the working class, a dream that almost all other manufacturers considered impractical and unprofitable.