Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by William S. Harley and Arthur Davidson.
The company’s first motorcycle was a single-cylinder engine with a wooden crate for a frame.
In 1918, the U.S. military ordered 20,000 Harley-Davidson motorcycles to use during World War I.
Harley-Davidson was the only motorcycle company to survive the Great Depression.
During World War II, Harley-Davidson produced over 90,000 motorcycles for the U.S. military.
The iconic Harley-Davidson logo, featuring a bar and shield, was first used in 1910.
Harley-Davidson is the only major motorcycle manufacturer that makes most of its engines in the United States.
The company has faced financial difficulties in recent years, with declining sales and a shrinking market share.
In 1983, Harley-Davidson introduced the Softail model, which combined a traditional look with modern engineering.
Harley-Davidson motorcycles have been featured in many movies and TV shows, including “Easy Rider,” “Sons of Anarchy,” and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”
The Harley-Davidson Sportster is the longest continuously produced motorcycle model in the world, having been in production since 1957.
In 2003, Harley-Davidson celebrated its 100th anniversary with a massive party in Milwaukee that attracted over 250,000 people.
Harley-Davidson has a loyal fan base known as “HOGs,” or Harley Owners Group, which has over a million members worldwide.
The company has been involved in various controversies, including accusations of tax evasion and emissions cheating.
Harley-Davidson has been working on developing electric motorcycles, with the launch of the Livewire model in 2019.
In 2020, Harley-Davidson announced it was pulling out of the Indian market due to low sales.
The Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is home to a vast collection of motorcycles and memorabilia from the company’s history.
The sound of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine is so iconic that the company has tried to trademark it, but the attempt was unsuccessful.
