It was on this day in 1947 that the death was announced of the man who revolutionised modern transport - Henry Ford.

Though Ford didn’t invent the motor car or the assembly line, by developing and manufacturing the first automobile that the masses could afford, he had a profound impact on the landscape of the 20th century.

Born on a farm in Michigan in 1863, Ford developed a flair for motor engineering when employed by Thomas Edison’s Illuminating company and, with the patronage of wealthy industrialists, founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903.

By 1908 Ford had produced the Model T - generally regarded as the first affordable motor car - and the phenomenal commercial success of this vehicle helped make him one of the richest and best-known people in the world.

His intense commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations over the ensuing decades before his death at the age of 83 due to a cerebral haemorrhage.

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