Most of all, Henry Ford, the Dearborn, Mich., farm boy who lived from 1863 to 1947 and became an automotive legend, was complicated on an epic scale.

The day before Ford's 75th birthday on July 30, Henry, Clara and a crowd of 40,000 spectators attend a pageant at Ford Field in Dearborn, in which 700 performers re-enact scenes from Ford's life.

The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Due to its outdoor nature, Greenfield Village is open seasonally from April through November – although it ...