Also Within this year in history

In a year that would revolutionize transportation, Henry Ford’s introduced his first Model T and the Wright Brothers’ made their first public flight to demonstrate the airplane they’d invented several years earlier. In Europe, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina, now seen as a prelude to World War I. In America, Sears started selling "kit" homes through its mail-order catalog, starting for $650. And the charismatic outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid reportedly met their end in Bolivia—although not everyone believed it.

Oct

01

Inventions & Science

Ford Motor Company unveils the Model T

On October 1, 1908, the first production Model T Ford is completed at the company’s Piquette Avenue plant in Detroit. Between 1908 and 1927, Ford would build some 15 million Model T cars. It was the longest production run of any automobile model in history until the Volkswagen Beetle surpassed it in 1972.

UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 19: The Ford Model T was introduced by Henry Ford (1863-1947) in 1908, and made by the Ford Motor Company in Detroit. By means of true mass production, this car was affordable for far more people than ever before. By 1913 motorised production lines were in use, enabling the Model T to be made in such quantities that, in 1915, a tourer cost half the price it was when first introduced. The new production methods were so speedy that only one paint, japan black enamel, would dry fast enough to prevent problems, hence the remark attributed to Ford that �Customers can have any color they want so long as it's black�. The Model T was hugely popular, and by the time it was phased out in 1927 over sixteen million vehicles had been made. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)

The Ford Model T was introduced by Henry Ford in 1908, and made by the Ford Motor Company in Detroit. By means of true mass production, this car was affordable for far more people than ever before. By 1913 motorised production lines were in use, enabling the Model T to be made in such quantities that, in 1915, a tourer cost half the price it was when first introduced. The new production methods were so speedy that only one paint, japan black enamel, would dry fast enough to prevent problems, hence the remark attributed to Ford that “customers can have any color they want so long as it’s black.” The Model T was hugely popular, and by the time it was phased out in 1927 over sixteen million vehicles had been made.

Getty Images / Science & Society Picture Library / Contributor

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