While vacationing in Dublin, Ireland, Henry Ford was asked to contribute to a collection for a new orphanage. Ford agreed, writing a check for two thousand pounds.

The following day, his generosity made headlines in the local paper, which incorrectly quoted the donation as twenty thousand pounds. The director of the orphanage called Ford to apologize.

"I'll phone the editor straight away and tell him to correct the mistake," he said. "There's no need for that," Ford replied. "I'll give you a check for the remaining eighteen thousand pounds, but only on one condition..."

The condition? "When the new building opens," Ford explained, "I want this inscription on it: I WAS A STRANGER, AND YOU TOOK ME IN."