COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2211

Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

32companies1746–1976founding years32still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedGroupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie)FoundedGroupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie)
1746
FoundedAmoskeag Company
1831
FoundedSuez Lyonnaise des Eaux
1858
FoundedAmerican Safety Razor Company
1875
FoundedWest Point-Pepperell, Inc.FoundedWestPoint Stevens Inc.
1880
FoundedSprings Industries, Inc.
1887
FoundedGreenwood Mills, Inc.
1889
FoundedMilliken & Co.FoundedMilliken & Co.
1890
FoundedWalton Monroe Mills, Inc.
1895
FoundedThomaston Mills, Inc.
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedBurlington Industries, Inc.
1923
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long postwar expansion begins.
FoundedThe Tranzonic Cos.
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
FoundedFruit of the Loom, Inc.
1955
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedCrown Crafts, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins with the Altair.
FoundedLiz Claiborne, Inc.
1976
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
1990
EnvironmentThe Clean Air Act amendments tighten emissions limits.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2001
EconomyThe September 11 attacks; a recession follows.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 begin to take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Groupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie) →
Active · founded 1746 · France
A household name among the world's needlepointers, France's Groupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie) is also the world's leading…
Groupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie) →
Active · founded 1746 · France
A household name among the world's needlepointers, France's Groupe DMC (Dollfus Mieg & Cie) is also the world's leading…
Amoskeag Company →
Active · founded 1831
Amoskeag Company is a holding and operating company, whose main revenue (98 percent) is derived from its control of…
Amoskeag Company →
Active · founded 1831
Amoskeag Company is a holding and operating company, whose main revenue (98 percent) is derived from its control of…
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux →
Active · founded 1858 · France
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux has transformed itself into one of the world's leading multi-utility powerhouses, offering…
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux →
Active · founded 1858 · France
Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux has transformed itself into one of the world's leading multi-utility powerhouses, offering…
American Safety Razor Company →
Active · founded 1875
American Safety Razor Company (ASR) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of brand-name and private-label personal…
American Safety Razor Company →
Active · founded 1875
American Safety Razor Company (ASR) is a leading manufacturer and marketer of brand-name and private-label personal…
West Point-Pepperell, Inc. →
Active · founded 1880
From humble roots in the South's postwar reconstruction, over the last century West Point-Pepperell, Inc.
West Point-Pepperell, Inc. →
Active · founded 1880
From humble roots in the South's postwar reconstruction, over the last century West Point-Pepperell, Inc.
WestPoint Stevens Inc. →
Active · founded 1880
WestPoint Stevens Inc.
WestPoint Stevens Inc. →
Active · founded 1880
WestPoint Stevens Inc.
Springs Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1887
Springs Industries, Inc.
Springs Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1887
Springs Industries, Inc.
Greenwood Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1889
Greenwood Mills, Inc.
Greenwood Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1889
Greenwood Mills, Inc.
Milliken & Co. →
Active · founded 1890
Milliken & Co.
Milliken & Co. →
Active · founded 1890
Milliken & Co.
Walton Monroe Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1895
Walton Monroe Mills, Inc., a manufacturer of yarn and undyed fabric, has been managed by the same family since its 1895…
Walton Monroe Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1895
Walton Monroe Mills, Inc., a manufacturer of yarn and undyed fabric, has been managed by the same family since its 1895…
Thomaston Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1899
Based in Thomaston, Georgia, Thomaston Mills, Inc.
Thomaston Mills, Inc. →
Active · founded 1899
Based in Thomaston, Georgia, Thomaston Mills, Inc.
Burlington Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Burlington Industries, Inc.
Burlington Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1923
Burlington Industries, Inc.
The Tranzonic Cos. →
Active · founded 1946
The Tranzonic Cos.
The Tranzonic Cos. →
Active · founded 1946
The Tranzonic Cos.
Fruit of the Loom, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Fruit of the Loom, Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of family apparel, is America's biggest seller of men's…
Fruit of the Loom, Inc. →
Active · founded 1955
Fruit of the Loom, Inc., a global manufacturer and marketer of family apparel, is America's biggest seller of men's…
Crown Crafts, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Crown Crafts, Inc.
Crown Crafts, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Crown Crafts, Inc.
Liz Claiborne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Liz Claiborne, Inc.
Liz Claiborne, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Liz Claiborne, Inc.
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