It was a sweltering August day in 1937 when the three Cohen brothers
(Norman, Hiram, and Maxwell) entered the posh Dearborn, Michigan, offices
of Henry Ford, the car maker. "Mr. Ford," announced Norman Cohen, the
eldest of the three. "We have a remarkable invention that will
revolutionize the automobile industry." Ford looked skeptical, but their
threat to offer it to the competition kept his interest piqued. "We would
like to demonstrate it to you in person."
After a little cajoling, they brought Mr. Ford outside and asked him to
enter a black automobile parked in front of the building. Hyman Cohen,
the middle brother, opened the door of the car. "Please step inside, Mr.
Ford."
"What!" shouted the tycoon, "Are you crazy? It must be two hundred
degrees in that car!" "It is," smiled the youngest brother, Max, "but sit
down Mr.
Ford, and push the white button." Intrigued, Ford pushed the button. All
of a sudden a whoosh of freezing air started blowing from vents all
around the car, and within seconds the automobile was not only comfortable,
it
was quite cool.
"This is amazing!" exclaimed Ford. "How much do you want for the
patent?" Norman spoke up, "The price is one million dollars." Then he
paused. "And there is something else: The name 'Cohen Brothers
Air-Conditioning' must be stamped right next to the Ford logo!" "Money is
no problem," retorted Ford, "but no way will I put your names next to my
logo on my cars!' They haggled back and forth for a while and finally they
settled. Five million dollars, but the Cohens' name would be left off.
However, the first names of the Cohen brothers would be forever emblazoned
upon the console of every Ford air conditioning system. And that is why,
even today, whenever you enter a Ford vehicle, you will see those three
names clearly printed on the air conditioning control panel: NORM, HI and
MAX.
So Now You Know!! Have a good friday....Neil
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