COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 7375

Infor-mation Retrieval Services

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

18companies1906–1996founding years18still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedXerox Corporation
1906
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedThe Copley Press, Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedMcClatchy Newspapers, Inc.
1930
FoundedCowles Media Company
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMead Data Central, Inc.
1968
FoundedDow Jones Telerate, Inc.
1969
FoundedMecklermedia Corporation
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedAmerican Business Information, Inc.
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedInformation Access Company
1977
FoundedGartner Group, Inc.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedCerner CorporationFoundedCompuServe Interactive Services, Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedSilverPlatter Information Inc.
1983
FoundedBrite Voice Systems, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedBloomberg L.P.
1986
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedPeapod, Inc.FoundedPrimedia Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
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.
FoundedSABRE Group Holdings, Inc.
1996
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
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

Xerox Corporation →
Active · founded 1906
Xerox Corporation, virtually synonymous with photocopying, now touts itself as The Document Company.
The Copley Press, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Owned and operated by the namesake Copley family, The Copley Press, Inc.
McClatchy Newspapers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1930
McClatchy Newspapers, Inc.
Cowles Media Company →
Active · founded 1935
Until the late 1990s, Cowles Media Company stood as one of the nation's leading independent newspaper publishers.
Mead Data Central, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Mead Data Central, Inc.
Dow Jones Telerate, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Dow Jones Telerate, Inc., is a leading purveyor of information concerning the financial industry to customers around…
Mecklermedia Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Mecklermedia Corporation is a small but important player in the world of the Internet, with a relatively long history…
American Business Information, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
American Business Information, Inc.
Information Access Company →
Active · founded 1977
Information Access Company (IAC) is among the worldwide leaders in providing periodical indexes and the articles…
Gartner Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Gartner Group, Inc., is the leading U.S.
Cerner Corporation →
Active · founded 1980
Cerner Corporation is a leading supplier of information systems for the health care industry.
CompuServe Interactive Services, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
One of the world's leading online information services, CompuServe Interactive Services, Inc.
SilverPlatter Information Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Although not well known to consumers, SilverPlatter Information Inc.
Brite Voice Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
Serving the fastest-growing market in the world--the telecommunications and information services industry, Brite Voice…
Bloomberg L.P. →
Active · founded 1986
Bloomberg L.P.
Peapod, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Peapod, Inc.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1996
SABRE Group Holdings, Inc.
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