Is it true that Harley-Davidson founded Russian emigrants of Kharlamov and Davydov?

For many years now there has been a rumor that at the origins of the legendary American motorcycle producer there were two immigrants from Russia. We checked whether it was really so.

The story of how two merchants of Kharlamov and Davydov (it is often specified that they were Odessa citizens) either before, or after the revolution, they fled to the United States, where they modified their names and founded one of the most famous motorcycles, can be found not in one printed publication. The magazine was reported about it "Capital" (1992), newspapers "Arguments and Facts" (1995) and "Situation" (1998), as well as the famous publicist Yuri Ekyshev in his book "Russia in captivity" (2009). Periodically this fact is mentioned on various services questions And answers.

How easy it is to notice an entertaining biographical fact about American industrialists appeared In Russian-speaking publications in the first half of the 90s, and already in the zero years, he practically ceased to be mentioned. "Independent newspaper" Curses One of the most detailed legend options:

“On the threshold of the new, twentieth century, two talented Russian guys from Odessa Harlamov and Davydov picked up in their native Fatherland in search of the best share, but could not find worthy use to their forces. They offered different inventions, but the bureaucracy did not need new kulibins. And then, in the hearts, spitting on his native embankment Richelieu and Langeron beaches and waving his hand throughout Russia, friends went to the new shores in the hope of realizing their talents behind the ocean. America - the country of emigrants - accepted them with open arms, as accepted other talented people from all over the world. The Odessites settled in the state of Miluoi, gradually naturalized: Kharlamov became Harley, Davydov - Davidson. Here no one inserted sticks into the wheels, and they began American life with the fact that they invented ... a bicycle. But - with a motor. Since just a bicycle has long been known to humanity and it did not make sense to invent it once again. So one of the most famous motorcycles in the world was born-Harley-Davidson (the name Harley-Davidson took root in Russian). "

It is difficult to argue with the cultness of this brand. It is enough to name only Several filmsIn which the Harley-Davidson motorcycles: Terminator-2, Careless Return and Crime Crime Readvo were used. In the novel by Victor Pelevin "Generation P" the main character Reads The script for advertising of famous motorcycles and stumbles on the slogan: “Motorcycle Harley. There were no Davidson. ” Therefore, it is obvious that the biographies of the heroes of the bike are lit in the media quite widely. Firstly, they did not invent a motorcycle as such-this is believed to have done Gotlib Daimler Back in 1885. As for the rest, this is what tells us Official site Harley-Davidson Motor Company:

“You might have thought that Harley-Davidson founded two guys with the names of Harley and Davidson, and partly you were right. In fact, it was one Harley and three Davidson, and all four worked together to create a brand that revolutionary in the field of transport and in America. <...> Harley-Davidson was founded in 1903 in Miluoki, Wisconsin, and officially registered in 1907, when Walter Davidson became its first president, Arthur Davidson-the first general manager for sales and secretary, and William Davidson was the first production manager. Then William Harley became the chief engineer and treasurer. Given the ratio of "Three Davidson for one Harley", you can ask why the company was not called "Davidson-Harley." Since the initial idea of ​​the motorcycle came from William Harley, the company considered it fair to indicate his name first. Who were the founders of Harley-Davidson? William Harley was only a year older than Arthur Davidson. Two boys grew up only in a couple of houses from each other in Miluoi, Visconsin. So their friendship began for life. ”

Then there are brief biographies of the main defendants in history, from which we learn that William Harley's father emigrated to the United States from England in 1860. And dedicated to the Davidson Resource family reports To us, that the father of the three brothers William Xi Davidson was born in 1846 in the foggy Albion, in Scotland, and still moved with his family to the New World. Moreover, back in 2002 in the Russian journal "Echo of the planet" The words of one of the modern Davidsons were printed in the wake of the local legend: “As far as I know, my ancestors come from Scotland, I have not heard about Russian roots.”

As you can see, the founders (of which there were four) of the famous company have no connection with Russia, and the legend has simply become another invention from the “Know Our Know” series. Similar common Bike He calls another automaker, Andre Citroen, the son of an Odessa Jew, although Levy Citroen lived in Amsterdam all his life.

Image on the cover: Wikipedia

Fake

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1.      Mikhailo Duda - Grandfather of Andgei Duda? Fake!
2.      Is it true that the German Chancellor Scholz is the grandson of the former SS Groupenfuhrer?