Henry Ford was born in 1863 in Dearborn, Michigan to immigrant farmers. He invented his first horseless carriage in 1896 and released the highly successful Model T in 1908, selling over 15 million units. Beyond being an inventor, Henry Ford was a pioneering businessman who focused on the welfare of his employees through higher wages of $5 per day, an 8-hour workday, profit sharing, and developing the concept of franchising. During World War II, he built the Willow Run Aircraft Assembly Plant to manufacture over 18,000 B-24 Liberator aircraft for the United States Armed Forces.