This book chronicles the lives of John and Horace Dodge, from their early days as automotive suppliers to Henry Ford to their introduction of the Dodge Brothers automobile in 1914. It explores their influence on automotive manufacturing, civic contributions, and charitable endeavors. Despite their significant role in the early automotive industry, the Dodge brothers are often overlooked, but this work aims to rectify that oversight.
In this gripping narrative history, Laura Spinney recounts the story of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which infected a third of the world's population and caused between 50 and 100 million deaths. The book explores how the virus traveled globally, exposing human vulnerability and driving innovation in medicine, religion, and the arts. It also examines the pandemic's significant social and political impacts, including its role in pushing India to independence, South Africa to apartheid, and Switzerland to the brink of civil war. Spinney draws on research in history, virology, epidemiology, psychology, and economics to masterfully recount this little-known catastrophe that forever changed humanity.
What I learned from reading The Dodge Brothers: The Men, the Motor Cars, and the Legacy by Charles Hyde.
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This is the story of two small town machinists who became enormously successful automobile manufacturers in the early years of the auto industry [0:01]
Early life and first jobs [3:02]
Moving to Detroit: Arriving at the right place, at the right time, with the right skill set [6:28]
Horace Dodge is a gifted engineer like Henry Royce (Founders #81) was + Inventors and bicycle manufacturers [12:00]
How The Dodge Brothers first described their business [16:40]
Doing work for Ransom Olds, Founder of Oldsmobile [18:20]
Crucial decisions in the early days of the company [23:33]
In a gold rush don't dig for gold. Sell pick axes [24:44]
The Dodge Brothers almost bankrupted Ford for lack of payment [28:22]
The Dodge Brothers got very rich off of Henry Ford [33:28]
Why and how the Dodge Brothers built their own car [36:00]
Comparing The Dodge Brothers organizational structure with that of Ford and GM [41:00]
The Dodge Brothers view on advertising [43:04]
How and why they worked so well together [46:13]
A bond so tight it could only be separated by death [50:58]
Their greatest accomplishment [52:01]
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