1863 July 30 Henry Ford born on a Springwells Township farm, near Dearborn,Michigan.

1896 June 4 Henry Ford completes his first car, the Quadricycle, in a shed behind his home at 58 Bagley Ave., Detroit, and takes it for a drive in the middle of the night.

1903 June 16 Henry Ford and 11 investors sign the Articles of incorporation for his car company. The cars would be built in a converted wagon factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit.

1903 July 20 Ford Motor Company sells its first car, a Model A, to a Detroit physician.

1906 Oct. 22 Henry Ford succeeds John Gray as company president; acquires majority of stock.

1908 Oct. 1 Ford introduces the Model T (destined to be one of the world's most popular cars).

1913 Oct. 7 World's first moving automobile assembly line begins operation at Ford's Highland Park (Michigan) Plant.

1914 Jan. 5 $5 pay for eight-hour day announced at Model T Plant in Highland Park (replacing $2.34 for nine hours); attracts thousands of job applicants.

1915 Dec. 10 One-millionth Ford car built. 1917 July 27 Ford introduces its first truck, the Model TT.

1917 Sept. 4 Henry Ford II born to Eleanor and Edsel Ford.

1918 Jan. 4 Construction of massive Rouge automotive manufacturing complex begins.

1919 Jan. 1 Edsel Ford succeeds Henry Ford as company president.

1925 Mar. 14 Birth of William Clay Ford.

1927 May 26 Henry and Edsel Ford drive 15-millionth Model T off assembly line at Highland Park, officially ending Model T production. Total world production of Model T: 15,458,781.

1927 Oct. 27 Production of new Model A begins at Rouge Assembly Plant.

1929 Oct. 21 Henry Ford and Thomas Edison dedicate the Edison Institute (now called Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village) in Dearborn, Michigan, on the 50th anniversary of the discovery of the electric light.

1931 April 14 Ford builds its 20-millionth car.

1931 April 15 Ford closes Berlin plant.

1931 Oct. 1 Production begins at Ford's Dagenham, England, plant, Europe's largest factory.

1932 Feb. 19 Ford launches its first car designed specifically for Europe, the Model Y, starting in England.

1932 Mar. 9 Ford builds its first V-8 vehicle.

1933 June 7 Last of 199 Ford Tri-Motor planes built.

1933 June 12 Edison Institute (now called Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village) opens to the public in Dearborn.

1936 Jan. 17 Henry and Edsel Ford establish Ford Foundation, fund it with company stock.

1936 May 16 Ford Rotunda opens in Dearborn. Built for 1933-34 Chicago World's Fair, took 18 mos. to dismantle and rebuild as visitor center.

1937 Jan. 18 Ford builds its 25-millionth car.

1938 Oct. 6 Mercury line introduced by Ford.

1938 A car is built at Cologne every three minutes. The plant operates at full capacity.

1939 April 30 N.Y. World's Fair opens; Ford Exposition building gives visitors a ride on the "Road of Tomorrow."

1939 Oct. 3 Lincoln Continental introduced.

1941 Mar. 1 Ford builds first general purpose (G.P., or "jeep") vehicle for U.S. military at Rouge Plant.

1941 June 20 UAW-CIO & Ford agree to first closed-shop contract.

1942 Feb. 1 World War II halts civilian car output; Ford shifts to total military production.

1943 May 26 Edsel Ford dies at age 49.

1943 June 1 Henry Ford re-elected company president.

1944 Jan. 22 Henry Ford II elected vice president.

1944 April 10 Henry Ford II elected executive vice president.

1945 June 28 Last B-24 Liberator bomber built at Willow Run Plant. (Ford built 8,600 bombers, 278,000 jeeps and 57,000 aircraft engines.)

1945 July 3 Ford resumes production of civilian vehicles.

1945 Sept. 21 Henry Ford II named company president.

1947 April 7 Henry Ford dies at age 83 at Fair Lane, his estate in Dearborn.

1951 Ford produces its first cars with Ford-made automatic transmissions; the Merc-O-Matic is offered in the Mercury Monterey. The division manufactures a total of 310,387 cars for the year, but material limitations due to the Korean War begin to affect production.

1951 In Frankfurt, Ford takes part in the first International Motor Show (IAA) since the war.

1952 Aug. 31 Henry Ford Trade School closes after 35 years.

1952 Oct. 9 William Clay Ford named general manager of Special Products Operations.

1953 May 7 Ford Archives dedicated at Fair Lane (former Henry Ford Estate).

1953 May 20 Research & Engineering Center in Dearborn dedicated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower via closed-circuit television from the White House.

1953 June 16 Ford Rotunda, closed to the public during World War II, reopens for the company's 50th anniversary.

1954 Oct. 22 Ford introduces Thunderbird.

1955 Jan. 25 Ernest Breech elected board chairman.

1955 April 15 Separate Lincoln and Mercury divisions established; Special Products Operations becomes a division.

1955 June 8 Ford adopts Supplemental Employment Benefits (SUB) program.

1955 Oct. 4 Continental Mark II introduced.

1956 Jan. 17 Sale of Ford common stock begins.

1956 Ford buys a planned plant site in Wulfrath, Germany.

1956 Feb. 1 Savings & Stock Investment Program (SSIP) initiated for all eligible salaried employees.

1956 Sept. 26 New Central Office Building dedicated at Michigan Avenue and Southfield Roads, in Dearborn; later renamed Ford World Headquarters; in 1996, HQ and Ford Credit complex renamed Henry Ford II World Center.

1957 Aug. 31 Lincoln and Mercury divisions recombined.

1957 Sept. 4 Public introduction of Edsel, new medium-priced car.

1958 January Mercury, Lincoln and Edsel divisions are joined to form M-E-L (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) Division.

1959 April 29 Fifty-millionth vehicle built.

1959 Aug. 24 Ford Motor Credit Company formed.

1959 Nov. 19 Ford announces it will discontinue Edsel car line. Lincoln-Mercury Division is re-formed.

1960 Mar. 17 Ford introduces Mercury Comet, first upscale compact car.

1960 July 13 Ernest Breech resigns as board chairman, is succeeded by Henry Ford II, who also remains president.

1960 Nov. 9 Robert McNamara elected company president.

1960 Dec. 12 President John F. Kennedy names Robert McNamara as secretary of defense; McNamara resigns as Ford president.

1961 Jan. 1 Henry Ford II resumes duties as company president.

1961 April 12 John Dykstra elected company president.

1961 April 18 Ford Parts Division formed (MOTORCRAFT).

1961 Oct. 3 UAW calls first company-wide strike against Ford (ends Oct. 20 with a three-year contract).

1961 Oct. 12 Ford Fairlane introduced.

1961 Dec. 11 Ford acquires Philco Corporation.

1962 July 2 Thirty-millionth V-8 engine produced.

1962 Nov. 9 Fire destroys Ford Rotunda. (Total visitor attendance since opening in Dearborn in 1936: 18,019,340.)

1963 May 1 Arjay Miller elected company president.

1964 April 17 Ford Mustang introduced.

1965 May 30 Lotus-Ford racer wins Indianapolis 500.

1966 Mar. 2 One-millionth Mustang built in less than two years from start of production.

1966 Sept. 30 Mercury Cougar introduced as "America's first luxury/sports car at a popular price." Motor Trend names Cougar the 1967 Car of the Year.

1967 Mar. 8 Ford dedicates new Automotive Safety Research Center and Service Research Center.

1967 June 14 Ford of Europe established to coordinate development manufacture and sale of cars and trucks in Europe and Africa.

1967 Sept. 6 UAW launches company-wide strike (ends Oct. 22).

1968 Feb. 6 Semon Knudsen elected company president; Arjay Miller becomes vice chairman of the board.

1968 Mar. 25 One-millionth Lincoln Continental built.

1968 April 5 Continental Mark III introduced.

1969 April 17 Ford Maverick introduced. Lincoln-Mercury introduces the European-built Capri at New York Auto Show.

1969 Sept. 11 Senior management reorganized -- Henry Ford II, chairman; Lee Iacocca, president - Ford North American Automotive Operations; Robert Stevenson, president - Ford International Automotive Operations; Robert Hampson, president - Ford Non-Automotive Operations.

1970 Dec. 10 Lee Iacocca elected company president.

1972 May 22 Henry Ford II and architect John Portman announce major office and hotel development on Detroit's riverfront, later named Renaissance Center.

1973 Sept. 21 Ford Mustang II introduced.

1974 Jan. 7 Edsel Ford II joins the company as product analyst.

1976 Mar. 11 Marian Heiskell becomes first woman elected to the board; (retires May 1, 1989).

1976 A new industry standard, the retractable safety belt restraint system is placed in the Mercury Bobcat. A snarling cougar head is introduced as the new Cougar emblem.

1976 Sept. 3 New Ford Fiesta introduced in Europe; starting in Germany.

1976 Ford produces its one millionth Transit in Germany.

1976 Oct. 19 Eleanor Clay Ford, widow of Edsel Ford, dies at age 80.

1977 Oct. 15 CL-9000 line-haul diesel truck goes on sale.

1977 Nov. 15 One-hundred-millionth U.S.-built vehicle assembled.

1978 June 16 Ford Motor Company marks its 75th anniversary with observances at World Headquarters and around the globe.

1978 July 27 Benson Ford, director and vice president, dies.

1978 Sept. 14 Philip Caldwell elected company president.

1978 Oct. 15 Lee Iacocca leaves company.

1979 Oct. 1 Henry Ford II resigns as chief executive officer; Philip Caldwell succeeds him.

1979 Oct. 15 William Clay Ford Jr. joins the company as product planning analyst.

1980 Mar. 13 Philip Caldwell succeeds Henry Ford II as board chairman; Donald Petersen elected company president and chief operating officer.

1981 Dec. 18 Ford and Mazda establish Autorama, joint venture distribution channel for Ford products in Japan.

1982 Feb. 13 Ford and UAW reach historic agreement encompassing innovative labor-management concepts.

1982 Oct. 1 Henry Ford II retires as company officer and employee.

1985 Feb. 1 Donald Petersen succeeds Philip Caldwell as board chairman; Harold Poling elected president.

1987 Sept. 29 Henry Ford II dies at age 70.

1987 Dec. 30 Hertz Corporation acquired for $1.3 billion by Park Ridge Corporation, formed by Ford and members of Hertz management.

1988 Jan. 14 Edsel Ford II and William Clay Ford Jr. elected to board of directors.

1988 Dec. 31 Worldwide earnings reach all-time high of $5.3 billion -- highest to date for any automotive company.

1990 Feb. 28 Ford acquires Jaguar Cars for $2.5 billion.

1990 Mar. 1 Harold Poling succeeds Donald Petersen as chairman of the board; Philip Benton Jr. elected company president.

1992 Feb. 4 Ford F-Series named best-selling U.S. vehicle for 10th consecutive year.

1992 Mar. 5 1992 Ford Taurus is first car produced in the U.S. with CFC- free air conditioning.

1992 April 14 First Mercury Villager minivan built at Ohio Assembly Plant.

1992 May 28 New plant in Alba, Hungary, dedicated; plant will produce ignition coils, fuel pumps and starter motors.

1992 July 1 Ford acquires 50 percent of Mazda Motor Manufacturing and renames the company AutoAlliance International.

1992 Nov. 10 Ford wins NASCAR Manufacturer's Championship.

1992 Dec. 26 New Lincoln Mark VIII introduced.

1993 Jan. 1 Ford President Philip Benton Jr. retires.

1993 Jan. 6 Ford Taurus named best-selling U.S. car for 1992.

1993 Feb. 4 Ford announces plans to develop a natural-gas passenger car.

1993 Feb. 4 F-series best-selling vehicle and truck; Taurus best-selling car; Ford products are five of top eight on list of best-selling U.S. vehicles.

1993 Feb. 11 Ford and Citibank introduce new Visa and MasterCard that let card users earn rebates on new Ford vehicles.

1993 Mar. 5 Ford introduces the "world car" Mondeo in Europe, 18 months before the Ford Contour in U.S.

1993 April 8 Ford starts building Flexible-Fuel Vehicle (FFV) Taurus at Chicago Assembly Plant.

1993 April 30 Production of new CD4E automatic transaxle starts at Batavia (Ohio) Transmission Plant.

1993 June 1 Ford is first automaker to have dual air bags as standard equipment in most cars.

1993 June 20 Ford establishes first dealerships in China.

1993 July 29 Ford's one-millionth vehicle fitted with dual air bags rolls off the Atlanta (Georgia) Assembly Plant line.

1993 Aug. 27 Seventy-fifth anniversary of Dearborn Assembly Plant (originally the Rouge Plant).

1993 Aug. 27 One-millionth Ford Explorer produced at Louisville (Kentucky) Assembly Plant.

1993 Nov. 1 Alex Trotman succeeds Harold Poling as chairman.

1994 Jan. 10 Ford Falcon is top selling vehicle in Australia.

1994 Jan. 27 First Windstar production begins at Oakville (Ontario) Assembly Plant.

1994 Feb. 8 Sale of Mercury Capri, made by Ford of Australia, discontinued in North America.

1994 Feb. 28 Ford China Operations is formed.

1994 Mar. 24 Ford Windstar is introduced.

1994 April 5 Production of Duratec 2.5-liter V-6 engine begins at Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2.

1994 April 14 Ford announces the signing of an agreement to sell First Nationwide Bank to First Madison Bank.

1994 April 28 Ford China Research & Development Fund awards grants worth$1.6 million to 19 Chinese universities and institutes.

1994 April 29 Ford acquires 100 percent of Hertz Corporation, world's largest car rental company.

1994 May 9 U.S.-built Ford Taurus goes on sale in Brazil.

1994 May 12 First U.S.-built Thunderbirds and Cougars earmarked for sale in Mexico come off the line.

1994 May 20 Last Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz models are built at Kansas City (Missouri) Assembly Plant.

1994 June 9 Ford Japan introduces European-built Ford Mondeo.

1994 June 10 Ford Japan introduces U.S.-built Ford Probe GT and Japanese-built Ford Laser.

1994 Aug. 15 Ford Contour and Mercury Mystique production starts at Cuautitlan (Mexico) Assembly Plant.

1994 Aug. 22 Ford announces its intention to build a Technology Development Lab in Yokohama City (Japan).

1994 Aug. 24 Ford and Mazda agree to truck manufacturing joint venture in Thailand.

1994 Sept. 29 Contour and Mystique, North American versions of Ford's new global cars, arrive in dealer showrooms.

1994 Oct. 14 Ford and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited (India) establish joint venture to assemble vehicles in India.

1994 Nov. 28 UAW/Ford Health & Fitness Center in Dearborn opens.

1995 Jan. 1 William Clay Ford Jr. succeeds William Clay Ford as Chairman of the Finance Committee.

1995 Jan. 1 Ford 2000 initiated; restructuring plan includes merging North American and European automotive operations into single Ford Automotive Operations (FAO).

1995 Feb. 23 Ford and Song Cong Diesel agree to build a vehicle assembly plant east of Hanoi in Vietnam.

1995 Feb. 23 Ford establishes joint flexible-fuel vehicle development program with China.

1995 Mar. 29 Production of modular engines starts at new Windsor (Ontario) Engine Plant.

1995 April 19 Dagenham (England) Engine Plant builds its 28-millionth unit.

1995 April 26 AutoEuropa (Ford-Volkswagen joint venture) starts building Ford Galaxie and VW Sharan at new Palmela (Portugal) plant.

1995 May 5 New plant in Valencia (Spain) starts producing Zetec-SE4-cylinder engines.

1995 Sept. 29 Ford plant in Plonsk (Poland) opens; to build Escort cars and Transit trucks.

1995 Oct. 4 Ford and Song Cong Diesel have groundbreaking ceremony for new joint venture assembly plant.

1995 Nov. 28 Ford conducts 10,000th crash test, 41 years after the first.

1995 Nov. 30 Ford and Mazda establish AutoAlliance (Thailand) to build pickup trucks for Asia.

1995 Dec. 18 Aeromax, Ford's first all-new, heavy-duty truck in 25 years, built at Kentucky Truck Plant.

1995 Dec. 19 Ford launches new, advanced computer technology system for global vehicle development.

1995 Dec. 26 Ford announces return to the Egyptian market, after leaving in the mid-1960s.

1996 Mar. 26 Ford announces joint venture with Sistemaire, automotive components maker in Argentina.

1996 Mar. 27 Ford opens sales and marketing office in Moscow to serve dealers in Russia.

1996 April 18 New Ford plant near Sao Paulo starts making components for Fiestas to be built in Brazil.

1996 April 30 Vehicle lighting design and development center opens at Ford's Autopal Plant in Czech Republic.

1996 May 23 Belarus government, Ford and Ford's dealer in Belarus agree to form joint venture manufacturing company near Minsk to assemble Escorts and Transits.

1996 Aug. 26 First Ford Escort produced in Nashik (India) rolls off the line in Ford/Mahindra & Mahindra joint venture.

1996 Sept. 29 Ford of Korea, joint venture with Kia Motor Company -- Ford owns 90 percent, Kia 10 percent -- established to distribute cars, minivans and sport utility vehicles to dealers in South Korea.

1996 Oct. 8 Two-hundred-fifty-millionth Ford vehicle built.

1997 Jan. 14 Ford announces agreement to transfer ownership of Budget Rent a Car to Team Rental Group.

1997 Feb. 19 Ford signs letter of intent to sell heavy truck business to Freightliner Corp.

1997 Feb. 19 Ford launches 1997 Escort and Mercury Tracer in Middle East.

1997 Mar. 4 Ford automotive plants first to achieve world environmental standard ISO 14001.

1997 Mar. 6 First Ford Taurus goes on sale in Russia.

1997 April 19 Ford introduces Ka in Hong Kong.

1997 July 1 Lincoln Navigator is introduced in U.S.

1997 Aug. 1 Ford Puma is introduced in U.K.

1997 Aug. 21 Ford sells first natural gas taxis to New York City.

1997 Sept. 9 Ford creates Visteon Automotive Systems for the design, development, and delivery of fully integrated systems, replacing Ford Automotive Products Operations.

1999 Jan. 1 Sir Alex Trotman, Chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Co., retires. William Clay Ford Jr., assumes chairmanship of the company; Jacques Nasser becomes President and Chief Executive Officer. New management team assumes leadership.

1999 Feb. 1 An explosion occurs at the Rouge Complex in Dearborn completely halting production at the powerhouse; initially killing one employee and injuring 30 Five of the injured subsequently die in the days that follow.

1999 Mar. 1 Ford enters into a definitive agreement with AB Volvo for the purchase of Volvo's worldwide passenger car business for a price of $6.45 billion.

1999 Mar. 3 Ford pays record profit sharing averaging $6,100.

1999 Mar. 9 Debut of the new Ford Thunderbird Concept car.

1999 Mar. 19 Ford establishes the Premier Auto Group consisting of Aston Martin, Jaguar and Lincoln [Volvo will later be included in this group].

1999 June 15 Ford opens a $35 million European advanced research center in Aachen, Germany.

Source: Automuseum.com