Henry Ford made the breakthrough in the 1910s with the Model T. The golden age was the fifties and sixties, but the industry became bloated in the eighties and brand after brand started to die.

Hudson: 1954
Nash: 1954
Packard: 1958
Edsel: 1959
Studebaker: 1967
American Motors: 1988
Eagle: 1999
Plymouth: 2001
Saturn: 2010
Hummer: 2010
Pontiac: 2010
Mercury: 2011