February 24: Hudson was founded on this date in 1909

Outside of Henry Ford, the second most-famous entrepreneur in Detroit in the early 20th century was Joseph Hudson, founder of the city's largest department store. On this date in 1909, Hudson lent his name and money to launch the Hudson Motor Car Co., a venture aimed at producing affordable cars. Hudson survived until the 1950s on technical innovations like unibody chassis, until it finally succumbed to competition and became part of American Motors. Here's Wayne Carini walking around a 1951 Hudson Hornet, showing off a few of the tricks Hudson used to thrive:

Top photo: Steve Sexton via Motoramic group on Flickr