130th anniversary of the birth of Joseph A. Galamb, co-inventor of Ford's Model T
4 February 2011
Hungary celebrated the 130th anniversary of the birth of Joseph A. Galamb yesterday. He was the chief-designer of the Ford Company and co-inventor of the world's most influental car of the twentieth century. The Ford Model T (which was also known as Tin Lizzie or Flivver) is also mentioned in Budapest Business Region's image film titled Get engaged.
Joseph A. Galamb was born on the 3rd of February 1881. He was the second child of a poor reformed family. After finishing his studies at the Budapest Industrial Technology Engineering Course he won a postgraduate scholarship to Germany. He had the opportunity to work for famous automobile companies such as Daimler, Benz or the Adler. He travelled to the United States in 1903, worked in many different cities as a toolmaker and a carburetor maker. He joined the Ford Motor Company in 1905.
He became a chief designer of the company and devised many parts of the Model T in cooperation with Eugene Farkas and Childe Wills. He also designed the four cylinder sidevalve engine with a detachable head and the two-speed plenetary transmission. He was also one of the co-developers of the assembly line in 1913.
On doctor's orders he retired from active work in 1944. His influence played a role in the Ford V8 and Eifel being assembled in Hungary from 1935. He died in 1955 in Detroit.
