20 Little Known Facts About Ford Motors

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20 Little Known Facts About Ford Motors

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One of the longest and most enduring symbols of America has been the Ford Motor Company. However, how much does anyone truly know about such an American icon? Here are 20 of the least known facts about the institution that still remains a treasured icon today.

20. Ford Was The First Green Company

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Ford factories, both in the US and England, used both animal and human manure to power the factories, burning through 2,000 pounds of the smelly waste per week. This lasted until 1939 when other less expensive fuel methods came to light. I'd hate to be near those factories when on a picnic with my girlfriend!

19. BFFs Forever

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Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were such close friends that Ford took a test tube and captured Edison's final breaths while the latter was on his deathbed. Supposedly, Ford wanted to keep his late friend nearby. Talk about creepy and yucky all at once! I guess photographs were out of the question.

18. Henry and Adolf: A Bromance

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Unfortunately, Henry Ford was a confirmed Anti-Semite who financed a Jew-bashing newspaper and had a deep admiration for Adolf Hitler. The feeling was mutual as Hitler awarded Ford the Grand Cross of the German Eagle in 1938. Fortunately, Ford's descendants have been far more enlightened and have successfully distanced themselves from their ancestor's sad point of view.

17. The Ford Mustang Proves Popular

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A pedal-operated toy version was the Christmas gift of choice for young boys everywhere in 1964. When Steve McQueen drove the Mustang in the 1968 hit Bullitt, sales soared.

16. Ostrich Feathers!

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In the early years of manufacturing, ostrich feathers were used to buff all new vehicles before they were rolled out of the factory. The belief was that the feathers removed excess static electricity. Big Bird better steer clear of Detroit, then.

15. Ford Didn't Create Assembly Lines

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Henry Ford didn't create the actual concept, but he did adapt it for automobile manufacturing after taking a tour of a local slaughterhouse. So if you're an auto worker who hates working on an assembly line, just think: it could be worse. Had Ford not have visited that slaughterhouse, you would certainly be in a cramped factory walking from vehicle to vehicle!

14. The First Monster Truck Was a Ford

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The legendary Big Foot monster truck used a Ford vehicle as its' base. The success of this vehicle as a popular attraction created the monster truck industry as we know it today.

13. No More British Ford Factories

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For an as-of-yet disclosed reason, Ford shut down all their British car factories in 2002. Here's hoping they reconsider now that the company is solvent again.

12. Ford Introduced Peanuts to Animation

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Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang made their animation debut in a specially commissioned Ford TV commercial in 1963. That success led to director Bill Melendez and producer Lee Mendelson to pitch a half-hour animated Christmas special featuring the Peanuts gang. So this holiday season, when you sit down to enjoy A Charlie Brown Christmas, thank Ford Motors.

11. Ford Owns Lincoln

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In 1925, Henry Ford bought out his competitor The Lincoln Motor Company, folding them into Ford Motors. He wisely kept the Lincoln brand alive since the vehicles were incredibly popular. Today, a CEO would purposely discontinue a popular brand because since he or she didn't create it, it isn't any good in the first place. Sheesh!

10. Women Earn Equal Pay at a Ford Factory

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In 1968, women picketed a British Ford factory to earn equal pay and benefits. After sustaining a massive loss of revenue and profits as a result, management gave in to all demands, striking a blow against the lopsided gender-based pay gaps. Unfortunately, the American management was and still isn't as enlightened as their British counterparts.

9. The First Minimum Wage Hike

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Frustrated over hearing about the poor quality of life on a salary of a mere .50-a- day, Henry Ford raised the minimum wage of his factory workers to a cool -a-day. Ford still made massive profits despite the sudden spike in pay, proving that the modern day Republican belief that raising the minimum wage will kill profits is pure horsefeathers.

8. That Familiar Logo

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After a few company test logos that didn't catch the public's fancy, Ford introduced the familiar blue oval in 1907. It's been in use ever since, demonstrating the power of a simple, clean logo in advertising and sales.

7. The Model T Was The Most Popular Model

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While the Model A came first, it wasn't the smash hit the Model T was. Henry Ford was smart enough to realize that with competition, he had to offer value to entice customers, so he charged only half of what his competitors were for their vehicles. So in an indirect way, Henry Ford also created the concept of the year-end model blowout too.

6. A Ford Won An International Car Race

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The Ford GT40 was the vehicle that won the famous LeMans auto race four years in a row. A small 40 inch high vehicle outlasted all others in a 24 hour race. Eat your heart out, Steve McQueen! No wonder he lost in the 1971 movie LeMans; he was driving a mere Porsche.

5. Ford Is Exclusively Family-Run

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In order to be company CEO, you must be a direct blood descendant of Henry Ford. So anyone who just married into the family can't pull a Macbeth and kill their way to the top because it simply won't work.

4. Ford Is One of the Five Biggest Car Manufacturers Worldwide

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Alas, they only come in fifth on the all-time list, behind Toyota, General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai. Sometimes competition stinks.

3. The First Vehicle Ever Made

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The Ford Model A was the first automobile manufactured by Ford Motor Company in 1903. It had a two-engine system and the fastest speed it could travel was 30 miles per hour. So I guess when the inevitable high-speed chase occurred, snails crawling across the road far outpaced the participants!

2. An Arm and a Leg

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You've all heard of the phrase "an arm and a leg" when it comes to how much money something will cost you. Turns out Henry Ford invented the catchphrase when someone asked him why he was so carefree regarding money. Little did he suspect that his vehicles would end up costing people not just an arm and a leg, but both sets and a cheek!

1. The First Automobile Company in the US

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Ford was the first company to manufacture and sell cars, opening up shop in 1903. After a rollercoaster ride between solvency and bankruptcy, hitting a record low by 2009, Ford has rebounded to record profits lately. I suspect even if they hit rock bottom again, someone will step in to prevent America's first car company from ending for good.

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