June 16, 1903: Ford Motor Company Is Founded

June 16, 1903: The Ford Motor Company is founded in Detroit, by Henry Ford. On June 23, Ford, one week short of his 40th birthday, sells his 1st car.

In 1908, he introduced the Model T, leading to his saying, "You can have any color car you want, as long as it's black." In 1913, he combined this cheap car with the assembly line, and the rest is history.

As historian James Fell put it:

Because of Ford, the motor vehicle went from being an expensive method of transportation for rich people to something the middle class could afford, which is why we have gridlock, pollution, and 3,700 global deaths a day from car accidents. Well, if Ford hadn’t done it, someone else would have.

But there are admirable things about the way he did it. He was committed to lowering manufacturing costs and the price of his cars, coupled with aggressive marketing, to grow the company into a behemoth. Ford became one of the richest men in America.

And he shared the wealth. Ford abhorred employee turnover, hiring and endeavoring to retain quality workers by paying them a generous wage that many considered exorbitant and coupling it with a shortened (five-day) workweek. The best mechanics flocked to his company. He also hired Black workers, women, and people with disabilities at a time when few others did.

He also launched the Ford Foundation, dedicated to improving human welfare. The foundation is one of the wealthiest charitable organizations in the world, donating to the arts, the fight for civil rights, microloans, and fighting the AIDS epidemic.

But yeah, that antisemitism though...

Ford died in 1947. In the years to come, his company would produce the Thunderbird (popular), the Edsel (not), the Mustang (very). the Pinto (not only unpopular, but dangerous), the Escort (popular), the Taurus (popular), and the F-150 pickup truck (very popular).

The slogans would run from "Ford has a better idea" to "Quality is Job 1." At times, the company has acted like they believe these slogans.

But not always. Some people, especially fans of the brand which became Ford's main rival, Chevrolet, have said that "FORD" stands for "Fix Or Repair Daily," or "Found On Road, Dead."

And, yeah, that anti-Semitism, though... At least his heirs have not continued it. Not publicly, anyway.

A 2023 episode of the YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History featured "Nice" Peter Shukoff playing Henry Ford, and "Epic" Lloyd Ahlquist playing Karl Marx.

*

June 16, 1903 was a Tuesday. These baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Highlanders beat the Chicago White Sox, 1-0 at Hilltop Park in Upper Manhattan. Clark Griffith, also the proto-Yankees' manager, pitched a 6-hit shutout.

* The New York Giants lost to the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 in 12 innings at National League Park (later renamed Baker Bowl) in Philadelphia.

* The Cleveland Naps beat the Boston Americans, 7-0 at the Huntington Avenue Grounds in Boston. Gus Dorner pitched a 7-hit shutout. The Cleveland team was named for its manager and 2nd baseman, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie. They became the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022. The Boston team became the Red Sox in 1908.

* The Philadelphia Athletics beat the St. Louis Browns, 9-3 at Columbia Park in Philadelphia.

* The Washington Senators beat the Detroit Tigers, 5-1 at Boundary Park in Washington.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. Honus Wagner went 1-for-4.

* The Brooklyn Superbas and the Boston Beaneaters were rained out at the South End Grounds in Boston. It was made up as part of a doubleheader on July 25. The Beaneaters swept, 4-3 and 13-10. The Superbas became the Dodgers in 1911. The Beaneaters became the Braves the next year.

* And the Cincinnati Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals were not scheduled.