May 8, 1956 – HFII resigns as Ford Foundation chairman
The Ford Foundation was founded in 1936 with a mission statement that claimed it was created “for scientific, educational and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare.” On this day in 1956 Henry Ford II resigned as its chairman. Until the founding of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
May 7, 1998 – Daimler-Benz purchases Chrysler Corporation
On this day in 1998 Daimler-Benz purchases Chrysler Corporation for $36 billion. This deal is the largest acquisition of a US company by a foreign buyer. The sale proved to be quite beneficial in the short term, as stock prices rose quickly on the New York Stock Exchange, but
May 6, 1928 – Chrysler announces DeSoto
If you found yourself flipping through the pages of the Detroit Free Press on this day in 1928, you’d likely have read Walter P. Chrysler’s announcement of Chrysler’s upcoming brand DeSoto. The first car’s wouldn’t appear until the following August, but the announcement got the industry buzzing about this
May 5, 1914 – Cannonball Baker starts his first cross country run
Erwin “Cannonball” Baker, the winner of the first race everz at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (a motorcycle race in which he rode an Indian), took off from San Diego on this day in 1914 in his first of many runs across America. He reached his destination, New York City,
May 4, 1904 – Royce meets Rolls
Henry Royce was born poor and was working by age 9. Charles Rolls was born to an affluent family and had a formal education at Trinity College in Cambridge. The two made unlikely business partners, but they had two things in common by the time they met; a background
May 3, 1957 – Current Ford Chairman, William Clay Ford Jr., is born
William Clay Ford Jr., the great-grandson of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford, and current FMC chairman, was born on this day in 1957. If having Henry Ford as a great-grand father is not grand enough, on his mother’s side his great-grand father is Harvey S. Firestone, founder of
May 2, 1918 – General Motors buys Chevrolet
On this day in 1918 General Motors (GM) purchased the Chevrolet Motor Company. In a bit of irony, William C. Durant, founder of Chevrolet, had also founded GM several years earlier, but was kicked to the curb when profits began to fall. Stockholders of GM blamed the issue on
May 1, 1994 – F1 driver Ayrton Senna da Silva dies in a wreck at San Marino GP
Tragedy struck on this day in 1994 at the San Marino Grand Prix when Brazilian Formula One driver Ayrton Senna da Silva was killed in a crash while leading the race. At the time of his death, he held a record six victories at the Monaco Grand Prix, and
