Henry Ford is remembered for his many contributions to the American car industry. His “Fordism” method of running a factory line became a model for other manufacturers in the United States and abroad. Ford’s inspiration for car manufacturing, however, came many years before he began his own manufacturing company.

On this day, December 24th, in 1893, Henry Ford completed his first successful gas motor.

Ford began working at the Detroit Electric Illuminating Company, where he learned about the new technology of the internal combustion engine. He took an early model of this engine home on Christmas Eve to show his wife. Using an electric light socket for power and his wife’s help for fuel administration, Ford started the engine that led him into a career with automobiles.