Moving Assembly Line Inventor--Henry Ford

By D. M. Holmes

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." ~ Henry Ford

Every school child is taught that Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company, invented the assembly line back in 1913, but you shouldn't believe everything you hear. 

It was actually Ransom E. Olds, of Oldsmobile fame, who invented and used the assembly line in 1901 to produce his cars. What Ford actually invented was the conveyor belt assembly line, which sped up production of his Model T and was the gateway for MASS production.

Until the assembly line came along, products were made by hand and usually by one person. But the concept of standardized parts that fit together had been around for a long time in Ford's and Olds' day, and using an assembly line became a no brainer.

Ford was 40 years old when he founded the Ford Motor company in 1903, and the Model T is considered the first mass-produced car, which fulfilled Ford's own prophecy "I will build a car for the great multitude."

Of course, assembly lines are even faster and more automated now. While some companies still combine human labor with machine, in many cases an entire factory is filled with machinery that assembles the product with no human involvement. 

Take a look at this video for a fascinating look at Ford's assembly line and Model T production. I wish cars looked like that now. (NOT)

 

See the Assembly Line Wikipedia Article. Ford's Wiki Page and Books about and by him. His biography is free on Kindle. See Ransom E. Olds Wiki Page and his biography. 

This article is similar to an article posted on www.denisemillerholmes.blogspot.com  called Inventor--Henry Ford--Invented the Moving Assembly Line .

Source Articles: About Henry Ford; History Fact Finder: Who Invented the Assembly Line?; Fascinating Facts About the Invention of the Assembly Line by Ransom E Olds; Brainy Quote

WEIRD VIDEO--11/11/11 Heads!

Isaac Asimov--One of the Most Prolific Writers of All Time

By D. M. Holmes

"I write for the same reason I breathe--because if I didn't, I would die." ~ Isaac Asimov

We know that Isaac Asimov was born Isaak Yudovich Osimov, in Russia, but we don't know exactly when. He was a scientist, trained in biochemistry, but became famous from his writing. Although he wrote nonfiction, including papers and books on science, it was his hard science fiction that made him famous. He is known as one of the Big Three--Arthur C. Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein being the other two--during the Golden Age of Science Fiction.

Famous Books
I, Robot
Foundation series (Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation)
Galactic Empire series (Pebble in the Sky, The Stars Like Dust, etc.)
Lucky Starr series (Lucky Starr and the Rings of Saturn, ...and the Moons of Jupiter, etc.)
Fantastic Voyage
Robot series (The Caves of Steel, The Robots of Dawn, etc.)
And much, much, much, much more!

Interesting Facts

• He was a Humanist
• He served as Vice President of Mensa
• Nightfall is considered his best short story.
• The poor man never knew his real birthday, but celebrated it on January 2, his birth date being estimated between October 4, 1919, and January 2, 1920.
• A crater on Mars, Asimov, is named after him.
• He died in 1992. 

Isaac Asimov in 1965

Here is his Wiki Page. Here are books about and by him.

Source articles: Wikipedia, and IMDb. 

This article is similar to an article on www.denisemillerholmes.blogspot.com called Every-Other-Day Quote--Isaac Asimov.