100 years ago, Ford Motor Company stood at a crossroads. From growing competition and early planning for the Model A to Edsel Ford’s support of aviation and rooftop air-marking, July 1926 offered clear signs that major change was on the horizon.

Henry Ford once said something of this nature: "A customer may have a car in any color he desires, so long as it's black." Today, many people have taken this quote to mean that every Model T Ford, the car which undoubtedly made the American automobile affordable and "put America on Wheels," was painted black.

Henry Ford had been experimenting with unusual multi-cylinder engines even before the Model A. He rejected an inline six as being a copycat, seeking something distinctly different to perpetuate the image of Ford as the automobile innovator. A more powerful V-8 for a low-priced car offered that innovation.

From Padre Island and Mustang Island to the sands of Galveston, driving directly onto the beach was part of the adventure during the Model A era. Take a look back at a time when hard-packed Texas beaches served as both recreation areas and roadways.

One hundred years ago, as 1923 ended, Ford had produced 2,011,125 Model T’s that year alone. This is still today the highest figure ever achieved by a single model in a single year. Thanks to these production numbers, Ford was able to sell these cars at a low price. For example, you could buy a Runabout for $260, the equivalent of $4,815 today.

Discover a few surprising facts about Model A Ford keys, from shared ignition and door locks to Yale & Towne and Briggs & Stratton key blanks. You may even find that another Model A owner’s key fits your car.

While Theodore Roosevelt preferred the stately formality of the horse drawn carriage, successor William Howard Taft Motorized the White House Fleet.

These new style chemises which were highly decorative, deliberately sensual and often transparent, became the frontrunner of today's fashion slip. They were made of rayon, crepe de Chine or silk picot, so they were smooth, soft to touch and considered to be the height of luxury. From Bikinis, Bell-Bottoms and Little Black Dresses, by Kate Mulvey

Franklin D. Roosevelt, born into a wealthy family, could afford the best luxury automobiles. But it was a part of his "everyman" appeal that, when at home, he drove humble cars like this 1929 Ford Model A. Many of his cars were equipped with special controls that allowed the partially paralyzed Roosevelt to oper-ate the foot pedals with his hands.