With the current flood of doubt, fear and bad news involving American business, industry and the nation’s economy, it is enlightening to recall a tremendously positive milestone, now a century old, in the category of benefits for American consumers.

It was an event that changed the world for the better and a far cry from the depressing reports we get from corporate offices today.

On Oct. 1, 1908, the Ford Motor Co. introduced the Model T. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, and the car that industry experts say “put America on wheels.” That first Model T, which was produced for the 1909 model year, was assembled by hand and sold for $850. Demand was so astronomical that Ford devised an assembly line process, another Henry Ford innovation. Ford was able to turn out a Model T every 10 seconds.

The Statistical Abstract of the United States notes that the number of American registered vehicles in 1905 was about 79,000. About 77,000 were passenger cars, with 2,000 other types of motor-driven vehicles. By 1925, near the end of the Model T’s sensational run, there were 20.1 million registered vehicles, including 17.5 million passenger cars.

Along with all his other great achievements, Henry Ford was the first manufacturer to pay his workers the unheard-of wage of $5 a day. Time after time, he and his Detroit area operation made major contributions that went well beyond putting America on wheels.

Think of the impact on the American economy. For example, the estimated revenue in 2006 for the nation’s automotive repair and maintenance businesses was almost $88 billion. The U.S. auto industry’s annual payroll even in less notable times still tops $48 billion.

The population of the United States in 1908 was 89 million (the current figure is about 244.2 million). Lawrence had about 12,000 listed residents and there were various types of motor vehicles operating in and about the community. Lawrence had its hills and dales and even the best available motor cars sometimes could not negotiate Mount Oread, the site of Kansas University. Further, whoever picked the KU “hill” for the university could not have envisioned the incredible problem of parking as enrollments grew.

There is a message here if we will stop reflecting on present-day gloom and doom and consider some alternatives. Just as Henry Ford and his people managed to re-invent our outlook on life and the ways to deal with it to our advantage, so do we have the brains, the background, desire and wherewithal to meet and defeat the massive challenges now before us.