Henry Ford was born on July 30, 1863. The month which Ford was born was also the month the Battle of Gettysburg turned the course of the Civil War towards a Union victory. Some might say that Henry Ford's life was defined by war, being born during the civil war and living just long enough to see World War II.

Early life of Henry Ford: Not a farmer

From a very young age, Henry Ford had always been into mechanics. Henry's father was disappointed in his son's preoccupation with mechanics, since he clearly desired young Henry to be a farmer like he was. But Henry Ford's mother thought his natural aptitude should be encouraged and she had her husband build him a workbench in his own bedroom.

Henry Ford discovers his lifelong interest

Everyday, when the chores were completed at the end of the day, Henry Ford would sit with his tools and dismantle every gizmo he could get his hands on. Once young Henry Ford even hammered his mother's knitting needles into screwdrivers. Henry Ford was brilliant. His brilliance was natural and unlearned. His formal education amounted to about eight years in a one-room schoolhouse and his grades were mediocre at best. Throughout most of the young and adult life of Henry Ford, he had only one single interest - machines.

Life of Henry Ford in Detroit & Steam road engine

When Henry Ford was twelve years old, his father took him on an errand to Detroit and on the way they saw a steam road-engine barreling down a country lane. It was a memorable moment for Henry Ford.

It was the first time young Henry Ford had ever seen a machine that operated by its own power instead of horses. The road-engine had a huge boiler into which the operator shoveled coal, thus building steam to turn the wheels. From that moment on, Henry Ford dreamed of building a smaller self-powered machine, one that could be driven by anyone and that could move faster than anything drawn by a horse. That dream was still on his mind when Henry Ford finished his schooling.

The teen years of Henry Ford

After he finished school, when he was only sixteen years old, Henry Ford left the farm and found work as an apprentice machinist in Detroit. He made $2.50 a week - not enough to pay his expenses.

So Ford took an additional night job repairing watches in a jeweler's shop, where he earned an additional fifty cents a night. The jeweler had him work in back of the shop because he felt his customers might not feel confident seeing a sixteen year old kid working on their watches, even though Henry Ford's work was that of an expert craftsman.

The Childhood of Henry Ford is a post from: Biography Help

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