This Day in History

From HistoryChannel.com:

MOVING ASSEMBLY LINE AT FORD:
October 7, 1913

For the first time, Henry Ford's entire Highland Park automobile factory is run on a continuously moving assembly line when the chassis--the automobile's frame--is assembled using the revolutionary industrial technique. A motor and rope pulled the chassis past workers and parts on the factory floor, cutting the man-hours required to complete one 'Model T' from 12-1/2 hours to six. Within a year, further assembly line improvements reduced the time required to 93 man-minutes. The staggering increase in productivity effected by Ford's use of the moving assembly line allowed him to drastically reduce the cost of the Model T, thereby accomplishing his dream of making the car affordable to ordinary consumers.

No, he wasn't famous for inventing the car, as many people believe. He's famous for inventing the assembly line, thereby drastically reducing the cost of cars. And well, everything else.