Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village

No industry is more closely identified with the modern era in America than the automobile industry, and the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village site offers a fascinating look at America's contributions to technological invention and innovation. Among the several online exhibitions available for browsing is the "Stories of Inventors." Focusing on those whose creativity revolutionized American society and business — the Wright Brothers, Thomas Edison and, as to be expected, Henry Ford, the informative biographical sketches are accompanied by wonderful images from the Ford Museum's research collections. Within the text are links to related online exhibits. In reading about Henry Ford we learn about his first car — the self-propelled "Quadricycle," described as having "four wire wheels that looked like heavy bicycle wheels …steered with a tiller like a boat." A link on the Quadricycle brings us into one of the more engaging,"The Showroom of Automotive History." Here the visitor can learn about some of the automobiles that, through their engineering or design, changed the auto industry dramatically. Among them are the Model T, the Tucker, and the Mustang. Historical photographs and detailed specifications are included for each of the featured vehicles; of particular interest is the sales literature and advertising that introduced America to each new car. The Henry Ford Museum online exhibits are a rich source of information for both the car lover and historian alike.