 Table of Contents
The Boy Scouts of America has published Boys'
Life since January 1, 1911. I received it for a couple years in the late 1960s while in the
Scouts. I have begun buying copies on eBay to look for useful articles. As time permits, I will be glad
to scan articles for you. All copyrights (if any) are hereby acknowledged. Here are the
Boys' Life issues I have so far.
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By the end of 1935, according to this full-page
advertisement in Boys' Life magazine, Henry Ford's
automobile company had built 23 million
cars and trucks. Ford Motor Company
was founded in 1903 - 32 years earlier- so the average production rate was a little over 4½ million
per year. 2 million of them were powered by the
V8 flathead engine,
which had just been introduced in 1932. As with radios, flying machines, electric lights, and indoor
plumbing, every new innovation was considered to be a wonder of mankind's ability to create. I try
to imagine myself seeing these advertisements in magazines back in the days when they were
published, reacting the way I do today when some whiz-bang, newfangled technology or product is
announced. Ford Motor Company Advertisement
 Since Then
23 Million Fords
When Henry Ford wheeled his first car onto the streets of Detroit way back in 1893, horses snorted
and reared; crowds formed, blocking traffic. Some people laughed and others frowned. On the whole, they
refused to take either the car or its inventor seriously.
Fortunately, Mr. Ford took his work seriously. He knew that the invention of a practical gasoline
engine headlined an exciting new page in the history of transportation. He realized that his engine
could be used to make people's work easier and their lives fuller and happier.
His first workshop was a small, one-room affair, as you see in the picture. His first car was a far
cry from the beautiful, powerful Ford V-8 of today. But it
ran. Imperfect as it was, it pointed the way to the modern automobile.
Mr. Ford's ideas differed in another respect too. Most people thought that if the automobile ever
did succeed, it would succeed as a "rich man's toy," that it would be too expensive for the average
family to use and enjoy. Mr. Ford thought differently. He proceeded to demonstrate that a good car could
be built and sold at a price so low that almost anyone who worked hard and saved money could afford
to buy and operate it. And since Mr. Ford's first car, 23 million Fords have shown that he was right.
Today the original Ford car and the original Ford workshop may be seen at the historic Greenfield
Village near Dearborn, Michigan. A short distance away is the River Rouge Plant of the Ford Motor Company,
the largest factory in the world, proving that it is good for a young man to have faith in his own convictions
and ideas - and the courage and determination to see them through.
23 million Fords have been built. More than 2 million of them have been powered with the V-8 engine,
carrying Ford traditions of economy and reliability to a new high plane.
Posted February 1, 2017
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