The Moving Assembly Line: A Blueprint for the Future
  • Home Page
  • Historical Context
    • Timeline of Important Events
    • The World in 1913
    • Early Means of Mass Production
  • The Moving Assembly Line
    • The Swift Meatpacking Plant
    • Gradual Implementation and Experimentation
    • How It Worked
  • General Impact and Legacy
    • Five Dollar Workday
    • The Public Responds Feverishly
    • Negative Impact
    • Long-Term Impact and Legacy
  • Annotated Bibliography
Timeline of Important Events

1902 - Ransom E. Old patents his version of the stationary assembly line which boosted his automobile output from 425 cars in 1901 to 2,500 cars in 1902. 
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Ransom E. Olds

1908 - The Ford Motor Company unveils its first Model T.

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Henry Ford with his acclaimed Model T

1910-The Highland Park Plant opens to much fanfare. Experts in manufacturing rave about the new and innovative factory.
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The Highland Park Plant
Spring of 1913 - The process of putting together magneto flywheels is mechanized on the first ever moving assembly line that was used for industrial purposes.
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An outline of a magneto flywheel

October 7, 1913 - Henry Ford and his company introduce the moving assembly line full scale for the first time.
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Men working on the moving assembly line
January 5, 1914 - The unprecedented and heralded  five-dollar day for all workers is announced. Eight hour work shifts are also made known to the public on this day.
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Ford's revolutionary plan draws huge throngs of people

June 4, 1924- The Ford Motor Company achieves a stunning and ground-breaking milestone by recording the ten-millionth sale of the Model T.
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The Ten-Millionth Model T

By Jeff McGillivray, Josh Liotta, and Nate Dorow - Senior Division