There are still questions over whether he uttered the 'any colour as long as its black' phrase attributed to him but there is no question about the fact that yesterday (July 30) marked the 150th anniversary of the birth of Henry Ford.
The birth of the man who revolutionised the car industry with the introduction of the assembly line (and who worked to make his employees lives' better by reducing their work hours while more than doubling their wages to $5 an hour) will be marked by celebrations at Ford Motor Company's headquarters in Dearborn Michigan. These events are complemented by a special proclamation by the state of Michigan declaring this "Henry Ford Day."
For many other markets the celebrations started earlier with dealers in Asia Pacific launching Ford Heritage month, transforming showrooms into exhibitions on Ford's history; Ford of Germany competing in a series of road rallies to celebrate the Blue Oval's success in motorsport; and in the UK a restored statue of Henry Ford was unveiled at the company's UK Tech Centre.
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"My great-grandfather's vision was to improve people's lives by making cars affordable for the average family," said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. "His vision to build cars that are reasonably priced, reliable and efficient still resonates and defines our vision today."
"We are putting unexpected levels of technology within reach of millions of people, accelerating the development of new products that customers want and value, and driving growth by creating jobs and bringing the freedom of mobility to the world."