Explanation:In 1896, Henry Ford attended the convention of the Association of Edison Illuminating Companies in New York. Also in attendance (no surprise) was Thomas Edison, who happened to be Ford's boyhood hero. As any fan would, Ford snuck some candid shots of the man he admired during the conference. Then, it happened: a brief encounter between the two inventors. Edison, who was convinced that electric cars were the way of the future, gave Ford a few words of encouragement on his newly invented quadricycle: "keep at it."
Apparently, that little bit of advice was enough to set the foundation of a friendship that would last for the rest of their lives. Soon enough, the men were exchanging heartfelt birthday messages, like this 1915 greeting of "sixty eight thousand congratulations" from Ford to Edison. And in response, he received a thank you message from Edison that opened with "My dear Mr. Ford," and concluded, "Yours very truly."
Road Trip!
With a best friendship formed, the next step was obvious: road trip! Between 1914 and 1924, Ford and Edison toured the eastern U.S. in Ford cars for a series of camping trips. The BFFs were joined by other famous figures, tire-maker Harvey Firestone and essayist John Burroughs, and branded themselves "the Vagabonds" for their cross-country adventures. The trips functioned as advertisements for Ford cars and Firestone tires, generating headlines like "Millions of Dollars Worth of Brains off on a Vacation" and "Genius to Sleep Under Stars." Of course, the trips were also just a good ol' time with the boys out in the wilderness, where they'd challenge each other to races and tree chopping and high kicking contests during the day and tell stories around the campfire at night.
