Mercury Marine, founded in 1939 by Carl Kiekhaefer in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, began when Kiekhaefer purchased a bankrupt outboard motor company, redesigning 300 defective Thor engines into reliable Mercury outboards. Initially focused on magnetic separators, the company pivoted to marine propulsion, introducing innovations like the full-jeweled power outboard in 1947 and the splined propeller shaft in 1952. The 1950s saw racing success and technological advances, including the Jet Prop exhaust. In