Henry Ford left home at an early age and worked as an apprentice in a few automotive companies until he got promoted to the position of Chief Engineer at Edison Illuminating Company of Detroit in 1893. Cars, in those days, were considered toys for the uber-rich, but Ford believed that he could mass produce cars and make them accessible for everyone. To realize his dream, he founded the Detroit Automobile Company in 1899 which was rechristened as the Henry Ford Company in 1901.

As is often the case with first-time entrepreneurs, he too had to face failures and leave the company. Not one to be discouraged, he went on to be a founder of the company that we all know today as the Ford Motor Company. And yes, he did succeed in making cars affordable.