I just got back from a cross country roadtrip with my two boys, and I can tell you first hand that there's nothing quite like the sight (and sound) of a bunch of Harleys as they roar past the minivan. 

 

According to Wikipedia, William S. Harley designed his first engine in 1901, teamed up with his friends Arthur and Walter Davidson, and the Harley Davidson company started up, more or less, in 1903.

 

But when can we find the FirstMention of Harley Davidson? 

 

It took a few years, it seems, for the name to take hold.   A look through old newspapers and magazines doesn't turn up the actual phrase Harley-Davidson until this FirstMention in the Los Angeles Times of November 20, 1906.  You can find it in the last sentence shown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A contender, indeed!