Caterpillar's journey began in the 1920s, when two entrepreneurs, Clarence Saunders and Alfred E. Doehler, merged their companies to form Caterpillar Tractor Company. The company's first product, the Caterpillar Sixty, was a revolutionary tractor that quickly gained popularity for its reliability, power, and versatility. The name "Caterpillar" was coined due to the machine's resemblance to a caterpillar, with its long, tracked body and wheels.