Henry Ford’s Connection to Charcoal

The other day I was using Kingsford Charcoal to grill hamburgers and hot dogs, little realizing that there was more to the Kingsford brand, including its connection with a well-known car manufacturer in the 1920s and 30s.

You heard that right. The history of Kingsford Charcoal Briquets and a car manufacturer go hand in hand.  

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that middle-class Americans could afford, he converted the automobile from an expensive curiosity into an accessible conveyance that would profoundly impact the landscape of the 20th century. From Wikipedia

Wikipedia gives an adequate summary of Henry Ford, but there is so much more to the man than the Ford Motor Brand and the assembly line system that he formed. There is also charcoal.

While Ford cannot claim the title of inventor or patentor of the Charcoal Briquettes, that distinction goes to Ellesworth B. A. Zwoyer, who patented the first briquettes in 1897, Ford was the first to commercial market the product. But why? Why would a man who was involved in the auto industry have anything to do with charcoal?

It’s simple. It comes down to cost and the environment. Henry Ford was at heart a businessman, but he also sought to make good use of everything that went into the building his cars. One of those things was wood. About 100 board feet of wood went into every Model T Ford. From the Steering wheel to the dash, the frame, etc.

The Ford Model T was named the most influential car of the 20th century in the 1999 Car of the Century competition, ahead of the BMC Mini, Citroën DS, and Volkswagen Type 1. Ford’s Model T was successful not only because it provided inexpensive transportation on a massive scale, but also because the car signified innovation for the rising middle class and became a powerful symbol of the United States age of modernization. With 16.5 million sold, it stood eighth on the top ten list of most sold cars of all time, as of 2012. – wikipedia)

Ford wanted to own a source of wood, so he would not be at the mercy of suppliers or every fluctuating costs. Henry Ford had a cousin who was married to Edward G. Kingsford, a Real Estate agent in Michigan. Kingsford was able to help Ford obtain a stretch of timberland, the Iron Mountain, in Michigan, to be exact.

The trees were cut and sent to the sawmill Ford built in Iron Mountain, before the wood was shipped to the assembly line in Michigan. 

But something bothered Henry Ford. In addition to being a clever businessman, Ford was also a lover of nature, but that is a story for another time, and it bothered him to see so much wasted wood in his sawmill. There were lots of leftover stumps, branches, and loads of sawdust. It was during a camping trip that Ford is said to have realized he could make charcoal from the scrap wood and dust in his sawmill. 

Ford’s friend, Thomas Edison, designed the briquette factory adjacent to the sawmill, and it was Kingsford who ran the operation.

Originally the product was sold exclusively through Ford Dealerships, and by the mid-1930s, Ford was even selling “Picnic Kits” that contained charcoal and a portable grill.

Following Ford’s death, Henry Ford the Second sold the Charcoal business in 1951 to an investment group who renamed the business Kingsford Charcoal in honor of Edward G. Kingsford.  

So the next time you strike a match and light your charcoal Briquet, whether they are Kingsford or another brand, remember you have Henry Ford to thank for marketing the Charcoal Briquets.

Watch the Video here

A Key Day in Human Space Flight

April 12th is famous for Two significant events in Space history.

The first record goes to the USSR on April 12th, 1961, when Colonel Yuri Gagarin flew into space. That seems commonplace now, but allow me to explain. Gagarin was born on a farm West of Moscow, on March 9th, 1934. Yuri joined the Russian Air Force in 1955 and graduated from the Soviet Air Force Academy with honors in 1957. He was selected for Cosmonaut training in 1959.

    Gagarin was one of 20 men chosen for elite training from which the first cosmonauts would be chosen. Gagarin and the other prospective candidates were subjected to experiments designed to test physical and psychological endurance. Gagarin was only 5.2 inches which worked to his advantage as space in the Vostok cockpit was very small.

     While Gagarin flew only one space mission, it was a critical and historic mission. Gagarin had found himself in the midst of the space race. The US and the USSR were in a heated competition to see who could put the first man into space. During the cold war era, it seemed crucial to both nations to show their superiority in the heavens. Rockets were tested and launched, dogs, monkeys, and other animals were sent into space to see what the effects of space would have on life. But the most significant achievement would be to put a man into orbit. This is what Yuri Gagarin trained for, and all his training came to fruition on April 12th, 1961. Gagarin lifted off in a Vostok 1 space ship in which he traveled at a speed of 27,400 kilometers per hour. He launched at 9:07 orbited once and landed. His orbit lasted 1 hour and 40 minutes, making him the Columbus of the Cosmos. This flight made him a global celebrity, and he toured widely to promote the Soviet Achievement.

   Sadly, the Columbus of the Cosmos, the first man in space, Gagarin was involved in an accident during a routine training flight on March 27th, 1968. But he and his flight instructor died when his Mig-15 crashed. This Russian hero was cremated, and his ashes were buried in the walls of the Kremlin on Red Square.

    The Soviet’s success was a major blow to the US space industry. You see it had been planned for Alan Shepherd to launch early in 1961. But some problems had arisen with the Mercury-Redstone rocket for Shepherd’s mission on previous test flights, and the team, including Chief rocket designer, Wernher von Braun, wanted to work out all the kinks before they risked a human life.

    The test flight took place on March 24th, 1961, pushing Shepherds flight back. It seems that the US Officials apparently did not know how close the Soviets were to launching a mere 3 weeks later. Had they known there might have been a greater sense of urgency. Shepherd launched less than a month later in Freedom 7 on May 5th, 1961. The Launch took off from the Kennedy space center. Freedom 7 reached suborbital space, lasting only 15 minutes before splashing down in the Atlantic 302 miles from the launch site. Though this was a great success for the US space industry, the Soviets had a greater victory by staying in space for 108 minutes. The US would not duplicate the Soviets feat until February 1962, when John Glenn, orbited the earth.

    This success on the part of the Society could have demoralized the US. Instead, it set a fire under the Americans to get a man into space and to go a step further and beat the Russians to the moon. The first American success was on July 20th, 1969, when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon.

Before the Apollo Moon, landing plans were already being designed for a Space Shuttle. The reason to develop a space shuttle was simple. The USA wanted a way to ferry crew and supplies, and roughly 20,000 pounds of supplies into space at that.

  There were 4 original ideas to consider when designing the next era of spacecraft. What would it be used for? Here are the 4 major options that faced the National Aeronautics and Space Council (NASA),

1. A human mission to Mars
2. follow-on lunar program
3. A low earth orbital infrastructure program
4. Discontinuing manned space activities altogether.

It was decided that the next step would be to pursue the low earth orbital infrastructure option. Based on this information Lockheed Aircraft, McDonnell Douglas, Grumman, and North American Rockwell all offered their plans for a Space shuttle design. McDonnell Douglas’ idea was too expensive, Grumman though they had a great plan also had a hefty price tag. Lockheed’s shuttle was too complicated. But the plan submitted by North American Rockwell had the lowest cost and had the easiest design for ongoing maintenance. On July 26th, 1972 Rockwell was announced as the builder of the Space shuttle program.

    The space shuttle was different from the previous spacecraft in many ways. Here are two of them.

1. A shuttle would be reusable
2. It would return to earth and land like an airplane

    Now why all of that background information you might ask? I thought we were talking about April 12th? This is true! But this is important because it was on April 12th, 1981, on the 20th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight, 20 years after man first traveled into space that a new kind of spacecraft lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center.

    While Space shuttle Columbia was delivered to KSC in March of 1979, her maiden voyage beyond earths atmosphere did not come until April 12th, 1981.
With the successful maiden voyage, Columbia moved the USA into a new era of space travel. From 1981 till 2011 when, sadly, the Shuttle program came to a premature end, 833 crewmembers took part in 135 missions aboard Space Shuttles Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor. 135 missions that tested man, machine, and imagination.

  I grew up during the era of the Shuttle. I am older than the baby of the shuttle fleet, Shuttle Endeavor. I remember as a child walking out to my front yard to watch, not just a rocket, but a space ship with a name carry men and women into orbit where they would build the international space station, launch satellites, repair Hubble, and so much more. I remember going out to the Space Center where I would walk inside the VAB, drive around the launch pad, stand next to the crawler, talk to an Astronaut (Jim Kelly) and be in awe of all that surrounded me. So for me, April 12th is a special day, a day that was part of my childhood, a part of my life that I will not soon forget!

FUN FACT – The space shuttle program was the 4th human space flight program carried out by Nasa. Others included Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo.

To learn more about Space Exploration follow the links below.

To shuttle Atlantis, a Saturn 5 rocket and other even a launch in person visit  Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex

To hear a podcast about Space Exploration visit Anchor

Or watch the podcast as a video on Youtube

Titanic – The Unsinkable Story

Titanic – Unsinkable Story

Cost – $7,500,000
Length – 882 feet 9 inches
Width – 92 feet
Height – 175 feet
Top speed 23 knots
Weight – 46,328 tons
Decks – 10
Watertight compartments – 15-16
Lightbulbs – 10,000
Passengers – 3,547

Listen to the Podcast – Anchor

These are just a few facts about RMS Titanic. The Titanic was the largest and most luxurious passenger ship of its time. It is thought that the Titanic’s size and advanced watertight system among other things would make the ship practically unsinkable. It was rumored that a Titanic crew member said to one of the passengers, a Mrs. Sylvia Caldwell, “God himself could not sink this ship!” A few ill-fated days later the magnificent ship hit an iceberg and after 160 minutes of floundering on the ocean surface, Titanic came to rest on the floor of the Atlantic ocean.

April 15th marks the 107th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. And this brings us to the question, Why? Why 107 later, is there still such an interest in the Titanic?

Here are some thoughts.
1. It was a widely published boat, labeled as being the greatest ship of its time.
2. At the time of the sinking, it was the worst maritime disaster in history.
3. The eyewitness accounts and loss of life helped to make it one of the most well-known tragedies in modern history. To this day, if you search the internet you can find recordings, videos, and writings from people who survived the Titanic. Not to mention the official investigation reports.
4. It affected the upper class, working class, immigrants, aristocrats. Everyone was affected and touched by the story. Everyone could picture themselves in the position the passengers found themselves. .
5. The publicity from the time
6. The ship was lost under the ocean for 75 years. A new generation was made aware of the disaster when the ship was discovered on September 1st, 1985.
7. The movie Titanic was made by James Cameron in 1998 which again brought attention to the disaster.

Whatever reason has sparked your interest in this story one thing is for certain. While the Titanic itself may have sunk its story is unsinkable!
If you would like to read the Titanic Report, I will include a link as it is an interesting read. Here is an excerpt on their conclusion about how the Titanic sank. It reads,

“Ship Sinking. The ship went down gradually by the bow, assuming an almost perpendicular position just before sinking at 12:47 am. NY time, April 15th. There have been many conflicting statements as to whether the ship broke, in two, but the preponderance of evidence is to the effect that she assumed an almost end-on position and sank intact.”

It was not until September 1st, 1985, that this belief was proven incorrect, but Robert Ballard and his team of researchers. It was on that night aboard the research vessel Knorr that the Titanic was seen for the first time in 73 years. Click the link to see
Titanics First images

Whatever reason has sparked your interest in this story one thing is for certain. While the Titanic itself may have sunk its story is unsinkable!

Let’s spend the rest of this episode talking about Memorials and Museums where you can learn more about the Titanic and see artifacts and personal effects that were retrieved from the wreck site

• The first monument ever erected in memory of the Titanic in America, and possibly the world, was built in the small town of Libertytown, Maryland at St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church. The Church at the time was beautifying their church cemetery by building a calvary crucifixion scene. When news of the disaster reached Libertytown, the monument was dedicated to the victims of the Titanic on April 19, 1912, just one day after the first reports that the ship had sunk. This little monument, unknown to most of the world, is a testimony to how great a tragedy the Titanic was in its time because it moved a tiny town with no direct connections to the Titanic to mourn the great loss of life. (Wikipedia)

• An inscribed plaque in the Boston Symphony Hall commemorates Titanic’s musicians with the dedication: “In memory of the devoted musicians who were drowned still playing as the Titanic went down, 15 April 1912”. (Wikipedia)

• Two Titanic memorials stand in New York. On 13 April 1913, the 60 feet (18 m) Titanic Memorial Lighthouse was constructed on the roof of the Seamen’s Church Institute headquarters at 25 South Street in downtown Manhattan. It was later moved to a new location in the South Street Seaport area. (Wikipedia)

• Straus Park in the Upper West Side district of Morningside Heights commemorates Isidor Straus and his wife Ida, who both died in the disaster. The centerpiece of the park is the Isidor and Ida Straus Memorial, erected in 1915 to commemorate the couple. Its dedication reads: “Erected by voluntary contributions from many fellow citizens and accepted for the City of New York by Mayor John Purroy Mitchel and Cabot Ward, Commissioner of Parks. AD MCMXV.” (Wikipedia)

• The Titanic Memorial in Washington, D.C. stands next to the Washington Channel near Fort Lesley J. McNair. It stands 13 feet (4.0 m) high and depicts a male figure with arms outstretched. The memorial was unveiled on 26 May 1931 by Helen Herron Taft, the widow of President William Howard Taft, who held office at the time of the disaster and whose military aide Major Archibald Butt died in the sinking. It originally stood in Rock Creek Park before being moved to its current site on P Street SW in 1968. (Wikipedia)

• The Butt-Millet Memorial Fountain is a memorial fountain located in the President’s Park in Washington, D.C.. Dedicated in October 1913, it commemorates the deaths of Archibald Butt (the military aide to President William Howard Taft) and Francis Davis Millet (a journalist and painter, and Butt’s close friend and housemate), both of whom died during the sinking. (Wikipedia)

• The 106 passengers on the Titanic who were heading to Pennsylvania are memorialized on a park bench near Audubon, Pennsylvania. This bench is located along the Schuylkill River Trail where it is met by the Pawlings Road Trailhead. (Wikipedia)

Exhibits / Museums in the USA
Indian Orchard, Massachusetts – The nation’s first Titanic Historical Society was established in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, in 1963. The small museum that has branched out of the historical society’s collection of Titanic artifacts includes the life vest worn by John Jacob Astor, models of the ship and its rudder and propellers, and personal objects like clothing, coins, and letters.

Titanic Museum

Orlando, Florida – The Titanic Exhibition Link

Titanic Museum – The landlocked states of Missouri and Tennessee are home to the Titanic Museums, which have a year-round interactive exhibit. Highlights of the museum include a $1 million replica of the boat’s grand staircase, an 18-foot scale model of the White Star Line ship, and cabin replicas. The museum tries to make the visit educational for its guests by, for example, giving them the chance to experience a “sloping” deck as the ship sinks and also providing a passenger card that lets you follow the experience of a particular passenger through the tragedy to learn of his or her fate. Located in Branson and Pidgeon Forge http://www.titanicbranson.com/http://www.titanicpigeonforge.com

New York City, New York – New York City was where the Titanic was bound. The Titanic Memorial Lighthouse is in Lower Manhattan at the intersections of Pearl and Fulton streets outside the South Street Seaport Museum, which now owns the lighthouse. Dedicated on April 15, 1913, one year after the sinking, the now-historic lighthouse pays tribute to the passengers, crew, and officers who died.
The Inscription on the lighthouse says, (Read it here)

“To the glory of Almighty God, and in loving memory of those passengers, officers, and crew who lost their lives in the foundering of the steamship Titanic, on April 15, 1912, I, David Hummell Greer, Bishop of New York, and President of the Seamen’s Church Institute of New York, do solemnly dedicate the Titanic Memorial Lighthouse Tower. As its light by night shall guide pilgrims and seafaring men from every clime into this port, so may they follow Him who is the Light of Life across the waves of this troublesome world to everlasting life; and, looking at noon toward this place to note the time of day, may they remember that our days pass as the swift ships, and in view of the shortness and uncertainty of human life, strive to fulfill their duty well, as the beat preparation for Eternity. Amen.”