Little known facts......

[phbrown]

what? I thought this was the little known facts thread...

[SavnBass]

That first Miracle Worker was a great film... that scene at the pump still gives me goosebumps.. Patty Duke was the Dakota Fanning of her day..

[malthumb]

Another little known fact...
Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan includes in the village the actual homes and work places of historic Americans.  Not replicas.....the actual buildings have been moved and placed in the village.  They include the homes of

• Thomas Edison
• George Washington Carver
• Noah Webster (as in dictionary)
• The Firestone (as in tires) family farm

There are also actual slave quarters and sharecroppers' homes  that were brought up from southern plantations and entire Native American villages that were brought in from out west.


And workplaces like

• Edison's Menlo Park laboratories
• The Wright Brothers' bicycle shop

Adjacent to the Village is the Henry Ford Museum which includes among it's displays

• The limo JFK was assassinated in
• The chair Lincoln was assassinated in
• The bus Rosa Parks sat down in ( you can sit in THE seat)
• George Washingtons bed and mess kit from the Revolutionary War

[malthumb]

Staying on the "Henry Ford" angle....

Henry Ford DID NOT invent the automobile.  Automobiles actually evolved from several approaches to replace the horse in horse drawn carriages with various types of steam, gasoline, diesel, and electric engines.  It's hard to point to one "inventor" since literally hundreds of innovators were working on this problem simultaneously.

In fact a couple weeks ago, the oldest known still operating automobile sold at auction for $4.6M.  It was built in 1864.  Henry Ford was 21 yrs old at the time and a decade away from building his first car.

http://www.newser.com/story/130708/worlds-oldest-working-car-la-marquise-sold-for-46m.html



What Henry Ford SHOULD be best remembered for is applying the assembly line process to automobile manufacturing.

[phbrown]

What Henry Ford SHOULD be best remembered for is applying the assembly line process to automobile manufacturing.

I thought that was common knowledge

[THE WOLFMAN]

toots her butt in the air as she walks away from them.

ummm......in canine, that actually means "yo come hit dis, playa.."

[malthumb]

I thought that was common knowledge

You'd be surprised.  Even in Detroit people think he "invented the car".

How 'bout this.....Henry Ford was not the 1st to apply assembly line methods to auto manufacturing.....That would be Ransom E. Olds (as in Oldsmobile, or REO Speedwagon for classic 80's rock fans). 

 


Ford just did it better.........The assembly line part........I don't know, maybe even the music part(?)

[Hasmonean1]

You'd be surprised.  Even in Detroit people think he "invented the car".

How 'bout this.....Henry Ford was not the 1st to apply assembly line methods to auto manufacturing.....That would be Ransom E. Olds (as in Oldsmobile, or REO Speedwagon for classic rock fans).  Ford just did it better.

I never knew REO came from Mr. Olds.   There some great rock groups that came out in the 80's, so much so that you couldn't help but recognize them even if you weren't into rock music.

[LaylaMonroe]

Totally cosign what Hasmo said.

I was heavily into rock, but even if I wasn't, I'd agree that there were some awesome rock songs in the 80s so its hard not to know some of them if you were around then).

[sjonathan02]

I never knew REO came from Mr. Olds.   There some great rock groups that came out in the 80's, so much so that you couldn't help but recognize them even if you weren't into rock music.

Would you believe I had a student intimate that same sentiment minus the 80s part.  He was discussing classic rock vs. heavy metal.

[malthumb]

I never knew REO came from Mr. Olds.   There some great rock groups that came out in the 80's, so much so that you couldn't help but recognize them even if you weren't into rock music.

I didn't know that either until one day I was at the Oldsmobile complex and walked by a display of an REO Speedwagen, like the one in the picture I included in my prior post.  Classic "duh!" moment.

Don't know why a band would be inspired to name itself after a very obscure and non-descript automobile.  But then again, I've played in bands with really stupid names.

[phbrown]

I've played in bands with really stupid names.

now that would be an interesting thread ... but messy...