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History Daily

Henry Ford’s Five-Day Week

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 May 2025

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 1, 1926. Henry Ford implements the five-day week at his car factory in Detroit, Michigan, kickstarting a workplace reform that’ll be adopted across the country.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:04.1

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0:06.0

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0:10.6

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0:30.0

Oh. It's the morning of June 4, 1896, in Detroit, Michigan.

0:35.1

The sun's rising into a clear sky, promising yet another beautiful summer day.

0:39.3

What 32-year-old inventor, Henry Ford, isn't interested in the weather.

0:43.2

He's been up since dawn preparing to test out his latest creation.

0:49.6

Eleven years ago, German engineer Carl Benz built the world's first gasoline-powered car.

0:55.5

This invention caught Henry's imagination, and he decided to see if he could build his own automobile.

1:02.9

For the last six months, Henry spent every spare moment he has working on a motorized vehicle that he's calling the quadrucycle.

1:05.9

Now it's finally ready for its first test drive.

1:08.9

But a few moments ago, Henry discovered a problem.

1:12.4

The doors of the shed he's built the machine in are too narrow,

1:16.8

and the only way to get the quadricycle out is to take a sledgehammer to the doorframe.

1:21.3

After one final swing, the doorframe falls to the floor, and Henry wipes his brow exhausted.

1:24.6

But then he gathers himself to push the quadricycle out of the building, then takes a

1:29.3

moment to admire his creation in the sunlight, a wooden chassis supported on four large bicycle wheels.

1:35.5

Strapped in the middle is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine with an upholstered seat and a steering

1:40.9

tiller perched on top. It's a simple-looking machine, but to Henry, it's the most beautiful sight in the world.

1:47.4

And now he has to see if it works.

1:49.5

Henry fires up the engine, he climbs into the seat.

...

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