*Includes pictures. *Includes Ford's quotes about his own life and career. *Discusses the controversies surrounding Ford and Nazi Germany. *Includes a bibliography for further reading. “A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business.†– Henry Ford “I don’t know much about history; and I wouldn’t give a nickel for all the history in the world. It means nothing to me. History is more or less bunk. It's tradition. We don't want tradition. We want to live in the present and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today.†– Henry Ford in a 1916 newspaper interview. A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures; but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series; readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute; while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Few Americans have a reputation and legacy anything like Henry Ford’s; the man whose name is still associated with one of the world’s most famous car companies. Ford is unquestionably one of his country’s most famous industrialists; and his use of an assembly line to mass produce automobiles was not only innovative but also made it possible for Americans to own cars en masse. To this day; Ford Motor Company’s Model T is a household name more than a century after they were manufactured; not only because they were famous cars but because they represented affordable purchases that revolutionized the way people traveled across the country. Cars would never be a luxury item only for the wealthy again. Although Ford’s use of an assembly line meant human labor was not as necessary as it would otherwise be; he became known for advocating on behalf of labor rights; including offering an unprecedented $5 work day (the equivalent of $120 today); which doubled how much his workers were previously making and helped ensure his company would be both popular and a destination for workers. Ford helped Detroit become the Motor Capital; and he was progressive when it came to hiring minorities and women. In the process; Ford; who was born into a farming family of modest means; also enriched himself beyond his wildest imaginations; with Forbes magazine recently estimating that his net worth in today’s dollars was nearly $190 billion. However; while Ford may arguably be America’s most famous businessman; part of that is due to his virulent anti-Semitism and his association with Nazi Germany in the 1930s and the lead up to World War II. He invested in a weekly publication that became notorious for its screeds; and Ford was the only American praised in Hitler’s Mein Kampf because of his antagonism towards Jews. Hitler went so far as to call Ford an “inspirationâ€. On his 75th birthday; Ford was awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle; which was the highest honor a non-German could receive from Nazi Germany; but one acquaintance later claimed that Ford was disgusted when he saw footage of Nazi concentration camps and what had happened to Jews across Europe. American Legends: The Life of Henry Ford profiles the life and career of one of America’s most famous and infamous industrialists. Along with pictures of important people; places; and events; you will learn about Henry Ford like never before; in no time at all.
#775341 in Books 2013-11-04Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .38 x 6.00l; #File Name: 1493676121150 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. OK for what it is worthBy Sonny LaskinGives a good overview of generals all throughout history and a brief biography of each general. Good in explaining the main theme that a good general is not one who wins a battle in a war but the good general is one who converts that battle to a political diplomatic objective. Thus generals like Caesar; Napoleon and Khalid ibn-al-Walid were not only good fighters but also great diplomats.Author's writing style leaves a lot to be desired. I felt like I was reading a essay from a high school student for his social studies class with big vocab words put in sporadically to make the piece look better. I was surprised this guy is a phd author; when I read his back cover bio.Overall; its OK for the price you pay; thank god I only paid $3. A good brief overview on history something similar to an overview given by Cliff Note pamphlets that sell in shops and bookstores.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A very interesting reading!By MedManMichael Rank is an author that can turn any topic into an entertaining and compelling reading.This book covers the lives and careers of some extraordinary people that changed the course of our history. If you were only to examine their tactics and military campaigns; you would not have a full insight into the far reaching effects of their actions. Yes; they were highly successful in battle; and yes; they could command tens of thousands of people with a wink of an eye. But the concepts and culture which they instilled in the conquered territories are still felt in our modern age (Napoleonic Code being one of the grand examples).I would highly recommend this book not only to history buffs and fans of military strategy; but also to people interested in the thought processes of great visionaries and risk takers who manage to exert significant influence and change lives of thousands of people. Great read!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I'm a sucker for a good history bookBy CustomerAnd this is a good history book! The one drawback to a lot of books in this category is their denseness. Sometimes there is just TOO much information presented to reasonably digest. While Mr. Rank's book is very informative and well-researched; it also flows very nicely. The tone is almost conversational in some places; and because of that I was fully engaged from the first page to the last. I'm happy to say I learned quite a few things along the way as well. A great read for history fans; and an excellent primer for students.
