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Model T Ford Goes on Sale

October 1, 2012

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Profile America -- Monday, October 1st. A car destined to put America on wheels was introduced on this day in 1908. It was Henry Ford's Model T, and the demand became so great that Ford developed the assembly line to speed up production. At one time, a finished car rolled off the line every 10 seconds, and fully half the cars in the world were Model Ts. In 1924, the basic Model T sold for just $260 -- available, as the joke went, in any color you wanted, as long it was black. When the last Model T came off the assembly line in 1927, more than 15 million had been made during its 19-year run. For years, U.S. automakers sold over 16 million new vehicles annually. The recent recession cut that number to 10.5 million. Profile America is in its 16th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2012, p. 481
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB08-FFSE.04
http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb08-ffse04.html
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2012, t. 1058
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012edition.html