Categories: This Day

February 13, 1953 – Mack Truck founder dies

The Mack Brothers Company delivered their first successful vehicle, a 20 passenger bus named Old No. 9, in 1900. Powered by a 40 horsepower engine, some say the bus racked up more than 1,000,000 miles taking sightseers around Brooklyn, New York’s Prospect Park over eight years. By 1907 the company produced its first truck. In large part thanks to that first bus

, brothers John M., Augustus F. and William C. Mack earned a reputation for building durable, heavy duty vehicles. It’s a legacy that has stood for generations.

A Mack truck on the Naval Station Key West on June 18, 1917. From the Ida Woodward Barron Collection.

In 1922 the company name changed to Mack Trucks., Inc and adopted the bulldog as the company mascot. The family business prospered as America’s never ending expansion called for the use of big rigs. Mack trucks became a part of many iconic projects, including surveying and building America’s highway system and the construction of the Hoover Dam. Mack trucks could be found around the globe during World War II, helping the allies on all fronts.

The Hale 100-inch mirror for Mount Wilson Observatory on its way up the Mount Wilson Toll Road on a Mack truck in 1917.

Just eight years after the war, William C. Mack, one of the original three brothers to start the company, passed away on this day in 1953. Today Mack trucks is now a subsidiary of Volvo, which purchased the company in 2000.

We hope you have the Best Trucking Day Ever.
Brian Corey

Recent Posts

November 5, 1895 – Selden patents the automobile

George B. Selden driving an automobile in 1905 When patent lawyer George B. Selden first…

9 hours ago

November 4, 2000 – Harold LeMay, record auto collector, dies

| At the time of his death on this day in 2000, Harold E. LeMay…

1 day ago

November 3, 1900 – The first modern auto show

The first modern auto show began at Madison Square Garden in New York City on…

2 days ago

November 2, 1935 – The Coffin Nose Cord debuts

1936 Cord 810 Phaeton by Cliff. CC BY 2.0 The Cord 810 was introduced by…

3 days ago

November 1, 1927 – Ford Model A production begins

On November 1, 1927, the Ford Motor Company began serial production of a vehicle that…

4 days ago

October 31, 1957 – The Chevrolet Impala is announced

After debuting an Impala show car at the 1956 GM Motorama, Chevrolet used the name…

5 days ago