Childhood friends William Harley (1880-1943) and Arthur Davidson (1881-1950) started working on a motor-bicycle in 1901, and co-founded Harley-Davidson in 1903 in Milwaukee, WI, along with Arthur's two older brothers, William and Walter. In 1969, American Machine and Foundry (AMF) bought the company, and cost-cutting produced lower-quality bikes. Harley-Davidson was mocked as "Hardly Ableson," "Hardly Driveable," and "Hogly Ferguson;" the nickname "Hog" became a derogatory nickname. The New York Stock Exchange symbol is HOG.