On Oct. 1, 1908, Ford Motor Co. unveiled Henry Ford's Model T, generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the first automobile mass produced on assembly lines with completely interchangeable parts and the car that industry experts say put the United States "on wheels."

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In 1905, shortly before production of the Model T began, there were 79,000 registered vehicles, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest Statistical Abstract of the United States (Table 1439). In 1910, there were 181,000 passenger cars manufactured; 10 years later, the number was 1.9 million (see Table 1442 of the aforementioned abstract). By 1925, near the end of the Model T's run, there were 20.1 million registered vehicles, including 17.5 million passenger cars.

Between 1908 and 1927, Ford produced 15 million Model Ts. By the early 1920s, more than half of the cars in use in the U.S. were Tin Lizzies. (Source: Canadian Automobile Association Magazine)

As of 2006, there were 244.2 million motor vehicles registered in the U.S. alone. About 134 million of them were cars.

Not only was the Model T sold on every continent (save Antarctica), it was also the first automobile built by various countries simultaneously; the car was being produced in Canada and in England, starting in 1911, and was later assembled in Germany and Argentina, starting in 1925. Afterwards, Model Ts were produced in France, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Brazil, Mexico and Japan.

The first Model T, produced for the 1909 model year, was assembled by hand and sold for $850. It's been claimed that the assembly process for the automobile had become so streamlined by 1914 that it took only 93 minutes to assemble a car. At the height of assembly line production, U.S. Department of Commerce data estimates an average of one car every 10 seconds was produced. In 1914, Ford produced more cars than all other automakers combined.

By 1921, the Ford Model T accounted for almost 57 percent of the world's automobile production. In total, more than 15 million Model Ts were manufactured, more than any other model of automobile for almost a century.

Today, Ford is the second-largest automaker in the U.S.

Compiled from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006 American Community Survey and tables in the 2009 Statistical Abstract of the United States, the following are some facts and figures that show just how big an impact that affordable automobiles have had on our day-to-day lives, further supporting why so many people consider the Model T to be the most influential car of the 20th century.

91 Percent
The percentage of households with at least one vehicle available
Source: 2006 American Community Survey

90 Percent
The percentage of workers in 2006 who traveled to work in a car, truck or van (excluding those who worked at home)

45 Percent
Among workers who used a car, truck or van to get to work in 2006, the percentage whose commute took less than 20 minutes; for 14 percent, the commute lasted 45 or more minutes.

33.2 Million
The number of registered vehicles in California in 2006, the most of any state; Texas was second with 17.5 million, followed by Florida (16.4 million), New York (11.3 million) and Ohio (10.8 million)
Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2009, Table 1058

20,770
The number of franchised new-car dealerships in the U.S. in 2007, down from 24,825 dealers in 1990
Source: Table 1019

$693 Billion
Sales by franchised new-car dealerships in 2007, with sales that included 7.6 million new cars and 18.5 million used cars
Source: Table 1019

2.7 Million
The average annual inventory of domestic cars at franchised new-car dealerships in 2007, a 67-day supply
Source: Table 1019

16.46 Million
The number of new motor vehicle sales in 2007; of these, about 5.2 million were domestic cars, 2.3 million were imported cars and 7.1 million were domestic light trucks
Source: Table 1021

1.1 Million
The number of employees in 2007 at franchised new-car dealerships
Source: Table 1019

933,768
The number of workers employed in the auto industry in 2006; of these, 577,728 made parts, 150,284 worked on bodies and trailers, and 205,756 were in the assembly plants
Source: Table 997

$48.3 Billion
The auto industry's annual payroll, working out to about $51,715 per employee
Source: Table 997

$480 Billion
The value of shipments (motor vehicles and parts) in 2007 for the nation's auto industry
Source: Table 977

$87.6 Billion
The estimated revenue in 2006 of the nation's automotive repair and maintenance businesses
Source: Table 1244

Michigan
The state that in 2006 continued to be the undisputed industry leader among the nation's states in employees (36,796), payroll ($2.9 billion) and shipments ($49.9 billion) in motor vehicle manufacturing
Source: Table 998