250 YEARS OF AMERICA.
NEARLY 125 YEARS OF BUILDING IT.

By Eleanor Cabreré, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

On July 4, Americans will celebrate an extraordinary milestone, 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It is an anniversary that invites us to look back not only on the nation's founding, but on the generations of innovators, builders, manufacturers, farmers, entrepreneurs and workers who transformed a bold experiment in self-government into the world's largest economy.

Few companies can honestly say they have witnessed — and helped shape — most of that journey.

International can.

Long before there was an interstate highway system, before the automobile transformed daily life, before aviation shrank continents or the digital age connected the globe, a young inventor named Cyrus McCormick changed America with a single machine. His mechanical reaper, introduced in 1831, dramatically increased agricultural productivity, helping feed a growing nation while freeing millions of workers for the factories, railroads and cities that would define America's industrial rise. So transformative was the invention that President Abraham Lincoln recognized its role in strengthening the nation, ensuring the mechanical reaper was depicted in the historic fresco inside the dome of the U.S. Capitol—a lasting tribute to the innovation that helped power America's economic growth and westward expansion.

In many ways, the history of International and the history of America have been moving in parallel ever since.

The United States began as an agricultural nation. So did we.

As America industrialized, International grew alongside it. In 1902, the formation of International Harvester brought together pioneering agricultural equipment manufacturers under one name, creating a company whose ambitions reflected those of a rapidly expanding nation. It was a business built on a simple but enduring idea: solve practical problems, build reliable machines and create opportunities for people to prosper.

Those values remain remarkably familiar today.

America's story has always been one of building—farms, cities, highways, bridges, industries and communities. International has had a hand in many of those defining moments.

During construction of the Hoover Dam, one of the greatest engineering achievements in American history, International® trucks hauled materials through unforgiving desert conditions around the clock. Nearly 80 percent of the trucks used on the project carried the International name. They did more than transport concrete and steel. They helped build the infrastructure that fueled the growth of the American Southwest for generations.

When the nation faced its greatest global test during World War II, American manufacturers answered the call. International became part of what President Franklin Roosevelt famously called the “Arsenal of Democracy," producing military trucks, engines, and other equipment that supported Allied victory. Factories designed for commerce became factories dedicated to freedom, demonstrating how American industry could adapt with remarkable speed when history demanded it.

Even America's journey beyond Earth carries traces of International's legacy. Our technologies and materials contributed to the nation's space program, supporting NASA's missions from the Apollo era through later advances in space exploration. The frontier changed, but the mission remained familiar: solve difficult problems through engineering, ingenuity and perseverance.

Across nearly two centuries, the settings evolved — from farms to factories, from highways to launchpads — but the purpose has not. Build what matters. Keep America moving.

Innovation has always been central to that mission.

A deeper dive: This timeline details International’s history through the years.

The Farmall tractor transformed modern agriculture and helped define row-crop farming for generations. The Scout anticipated today's sport utility vehicle decades before SUVs became a fixture on American roads. The DT466 engine earned a reputation for durability that fleets and school districts continue to respect. Our integrated school buses have safely transported millions of children, while our commercial trucks have delivered food, medicine, construction materials and countless other necessities that quietly sustain daily life.

Today, that tradition lives on in the International S13® Integrated Powertrain, the most technologically advanced powertrain in the commercial vehicle industry. It reflects the same philosophy that has guided International for nearly two centuries; challenge convention, solve difficult engineering problems and help customers operate more efficiently.

These products were never simply machines. They represented confidence that transportation could become safer, more reliable, more productive and more efficient with each generation.

But perhaps International's greatest contribution cannot be found on a factory floor or in a product catalog.

It can be found in people.

For nearly 125 years, generations of employees have dedicated their careers — and often multiple generations of the same family — to designing, building, selling and servicing International products. Skilled tradespeople, engineers, line workers, technicians, suppliers, dealers, professional drivers, and other professionals all contributed to a legacy far larger than any single company.

Communities across North America grew alongside International plants. Dealerships became family businesses that served customers across decades. Employees volunteered in schools, coached youth sports, supported charities, and strengthened neighborhoods. Long before corporate social responsibility became common business language, International employees understood that successful companies have responsibilities beyond the factory gates.

That commitment continues today.

Whether supporting education, environmental stewardship or workforce development, International remains committed to investing in the communities where our employees live and work. Strong businesses and strong communities have always depended on one another. That truth has not changed since Cyrus McCormick built his first reaper.

Of course, anniversaries are not only opportunities to reflect. They are opportunities to look ahead.

The transportation industry is entering another period of profound transformation. Customers expect vehicles that are cleaner, more efficient, safer, smarter, and increasingly connected. Artificial intelligence, digital services, autonomous technologies and advanced powertrains are reshaping how freight moves and how communities are served.

International intends to help lead that transformation just as previous generations led the transitions from horsepower to mechanization, from mechanical systems to electronics and from analog operations to digital fleets.

Across our manufacturing facilities, engineering centers and dealer network, we continue to invest in technologies that improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and create better outcomes for customers. We are developing solutions that help fleets operate more intelligently while maintaining the reliability and durability that have defined the International name for generations.

The tools have changed dramatically since 1831. The mission has not.

America's first 250 years were built by people willing to invent, manufacture, solve problems and embrace change. The nation's prosperity has always depended on individuals and companies that looked beyond the next quarter and invested instead in the next generation.