Chances are, if you asked 100 people "Who invented the automobile?", at least 90 would reply "Henry Ford." This popular misconception is a glowing tribute to the man who made the automobile possible to the masses. While a good number of Americans and Europeans were working on the idea of a self-propelled vehicle, it is generally agreed that the automobile was conceived and came into being in Europe. Henry Ford, however, does get full credit for building the automobile that millions of people could afford. His guiding principle was this: "I will build a motor car for the great multitude...it will be so low in price...that no man will be unable to own one."  The Ford Motor Company was incorporated in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on June 16, 1903.