Credit: Harley-Davidson Museum, Milwaukee
Start your engines – Harley-Davidson Homecoming is back! This year’s fest runs July 25 to 28 in Milwaukee and will include a tribute to Willie G. Davidon, grandson of one of the founders and the chief styling officer for the brand for almost 50 years.
MORE: Everything You Need to Know About Harley-Davidson Homecoming 2024
But before the bikes come zooming in, here are 3 things you probably don’t know about the Milwaukee-based brand:
The company was actually founded by four men, not just two. Harley, Davidson, and Davidson’s two brothers (who had the same last name) launched the company from a small shed in the Davidson family’s backyard.
It’s “Harley-Davidson” and not “Davidson-Harley” because it was Harley out of the four founders who originally came up with the idea of a motorcycle. In 1907, Harley received his engineering degree and started making 150 bikes a year.
The company’s bikes were used in World War I. In 1917, when the US joined the war, the government bought one-third of Harley-Davidson’s bikes for their troops. After the ceasefire ended, the first US soldier to enter Germany rode in on a motorcycle. Soon after, the brand opened in 67 countries and became the largest motorcycle brand in the world!
MORE: Milwaukee Summer Bucket List – 30 things to do in 2024
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