FUN WITH MAPS – ISSUE 2021-154 DAILY FEATURE:

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 12, 2021) – In Issue 2021-154 of Steve Kovacs Fun with Maps, we celebrate the birth of the automobile assembly line.

Model-T, called the Tin Lizzy being pulled through the Ford Factory Highland Park, MI plant (Credit Alarmy Stock Images)

THE TIN LIZZY

The first production Model-T, colloquially known as Tin Lizzy, was built on this day in 1908. 

In a matter of days, Henry Ford and his team had orders for 15,000 of the new alternative to previous car models.  Efficient assembly line production made the car affordable and available to middle class Americans, which is why it was named the most influential car of the 20th century.

The Model-T was produced from 1908 to 1927. On May 26, 1927 Henry Ford and his son Edsel drove the 15,000,000th automobile off the assembly line in Highland Park, Michigan (suburb of Detroit, Michigan), officially ending the production of the Model-T.

It is estimated that about 50,000-60,000 of the Model-T are still roadworthy today.

Here is Ruth White humorous pictorial map of Michigan from 1938.

Map of Michigan from 1938 (Credit Steve Kovacs)

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Antique Maps & Fun Facts here on Loveland Beacon.