POTD: Thomas Edison & Armed Henry Ford
I really wish this photograph could talk.
In the mid-1920s, Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were part of a larger cross-country camping trip that included guests such as Harvey Firestone and President Harding. This photo is from part of that trip.
Thomas Edison, in his early 70s, is shown sitting in one of Ford’s automobiles, as Henry Ford, in his mid-50s, poses in Western-ish attire while wielding a Colt double-action revolver.
Between the two of them, Ford was what we would consider being the gun guy. His personal collection included serial number 1 of the Winchester 1887 lever-action shotgun line. That gun was originally engraved by the renowned artist John Ulrich as an exhibition piece, but Ford later bought it and then gave it to Harvey Firestone. Presently, it resides in the collection of the Cody Firearms Museum in Wyoming.
Edison was more of a pacifist. He helped develop defensive technology during World War I, but was quoted as saying, “I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.”
Regardless of their stance on guns, this is still a really cool photo of two remarkable 20th century inventors that just so happens to feature a gun!
T. Logan Metesh is an historian and writer who runs High Caliber History LLC. He has worked for the NRA Museums, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service. He has also served as an historic firearms facilitator for television shows such as Mysteries at the Museum, Gun Stories with Joe Mantegna, NRA Gun Gurus, and American Rifleman TV. Contact him at highcaliberhistory@gmail.com
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Anyone read Ford's book...the jew in modern America?
lol! Edison: “I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.”
Only because Hiram Maxim and JMB beat him to it.