COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 541710

Physical, Engineering, and Biological Research

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

56companies1740–2000founding years56still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedWhatman plc
1740
FoundedAbbott Laboratories
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHDR Inc.
1917
FoundedTakara Holdings Inc.
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedIrkut Corporation
1932
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedUbe Industries, Ltd.
1942
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedTaro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
1950
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedStarkey Laboratories, Inc.
1967
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedStolt Sea Farm Holdings PLC
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedMemry Corporation
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedUnión Fenosa, S.A.
1982
FoundedQiagen N.V.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAmylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.FoundedRidley Corporation Ltd.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedMooney Aerospace Group Ltd.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedArQule, Inc.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedMagellan Aerospace Corporation
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedIntegrated Defense Technologies, Inc.
1998
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

Whatman plc →
Active · founded 1740 · United Kingdom
Formerly a renowned maker of fine papers, Whatman plc has consistently reinvented itself to meet the emerging needs of…
Johnson & Johnson →
Active · founded 1887
One of America's most admired companies, Johnson & Johnson (J & J) is one of the largest healthcare firms in the world…
General Electric Company →
Active · founded 1892
The history of General Electric Company is a significant part of the history of technology in the United States.
Abbott Laboratories →
Active · founded 1900
Abbott Laboratories is one of the oldest and most successful pharmaceutical companies in the United States.
Pfizer Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
Pfizer Inc.
Becton, Dickinson & Company →
Active · founded 1906
Becton, Dickinson & Company manufactures and markets medical supplies and devices and diagnostic systems for use by…
HDR Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
HDR Inc.
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1917
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc.
Mayo Foundation →
Active · founded 1919
The nonprofit Mayo Foundation oversees the largest and most renowned private medical center in the world, the Mayo…
Takara Holdings Inc. →
Active · founded 1925 · Japan
Takara Holdings Inc.
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation →
Active · founded 1925
Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, known as WARF, is a nonprofit foundation that patents discoveries made by…
Merck & Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Merck & Co., Inc.
Irkut Corporation →
Active · founded 1932 · Russia
Irkut Corporation is a leading developer and producer of aircraft and aviation products.
Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited →
Active · founded 1934 · United Kingdom
Martin-Baker Aircraft Company Limited is the world's leading producer of ejection seats.
Fairchild Dornier GmbH →
Active · founded 1936 · Germany
In 2001 Fairchild Dornier GmbH was the world's third-largest manufacturer of regional jets.
Ube Industries, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1942 · Japan
Ube Industries, Ltd.
SRI International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
SRI International, Inc.
Loral Space & Communications Ltd. →
Active · founded 1948
Loral Space & Communications Ltd., or Loral SpaceCom, is a leading satellite communications company that both assembles…
Taro Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1950 · Israel
Taro Pharmaceutical Industrials Ltd.
General Atomics →
Active · founded 1955
General Atomics is involved in a number of high-tech ventures, including fusion research and gas-cooled nuclear…
EADS SOCATA →
Active · founded 1966 · France
EADS SOCATA is the light plane division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Starkey Laboratories, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
Starkey Laboratories, Inc.
ALZA Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
As one of the world's leading producers of drug delivery systems, ALZA Corporation develops and manufactures a variety…
Oceaneering International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Stolt Sea Farm Holdings PLC →
Active · founded 1973 · Norway
Stolt Sea Farm Holdings PLC is an international aquaculture company with production and sales locations throughout the…
Genentech, Inc. →
Active · founded 1976
Genentech, Inc.
Plexus Corporation →
Active · founded 1979
Plexus Corporation refers to itself as a 'product realization service,' that is, it helps corporations design and…
Chiron Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Chiron Corporation is a leading biotechnology company focusing on cancer, infectious diseases, and cardiovascular…
Memry Corporation →
Active · founded 1981
Memry Corporation ranks as the largest independent manufacturer of Nitinol components to the medical device industry…
Amersham PLC →
Active · founded 1982 · United Kingdom
Initially known as Amersham International PLC, Amersham PLC was formed in 1997 through the merger of Amersham…
Quintiles Transnational Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
Quintiles Transnational Corporation is a comprehensive provider of contract research, marketing, and sales to the…
Unión Fenosa, S.A. →
Active · founded 1982 · Spain
Unión Fenosa, S.A.
Van's Aircraft, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Van's Aircraft, Inc.
Kensey Nash Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Kensey Nash Corporation is a medical technology company skilled in developing puncture closure devices for…
Qiagen N.V. →
Active · founded 1984 · Germany
Biotech pioneer Qiagen N.V.--the holding company is based in The Netherlands but the company's main operations and…
Martek Biosciences Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Martek Biosciences Corporation develops and sells products derived from the microalgae it grows.
Celgene Corporation →
Active · founded 1986
Celgene Corporation is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and marketing therapies to treat leprosy,…
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Eurofins Scientific S.A. →
Active · founded 1987 · France
France's Eurofins Scientific S.A.
Gilead Sciences, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Ridley Corporation Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Australia
Ridley Corporation Ltd.
Sarnoff Corporation →
Active · founded 1987
Sarnoff Corporation is one of the leading developers of new technology in the United States.
Heska Corporation →
Active · founded 1988
The Heska Corporation is involved in biotechnical research for the development of vaccines and related diagnostic…
Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd. →
Active · founded 1989
Mooney Aerospace Group Ltd.
IDEO Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
IDEO Inc.
Incyte Genomics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1991
Founded in 1991 and based in Palo Alto, California, Incyte Genomics, Inc.
ArQule, Inc. →
Active · founded 1993
ArQule, Inc., is a biotechnology company involved in the research and development of small molecule therapeutics.
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
Caliper Life Sciences, Inc.
Discovery Partners International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995 · San Diego, California 92121
Discovery Partners International, Inc., is a San Diego-based research "tool box" company, offering products and…
Magellan Aerospace Corporation →
Active · founded 1995 · Canada
Magellan Aerospace Corporation is Canada's largest dedicated manufacturer of aerospace components.
Novartis AG →
Active · founded 1996 · Switzerland
Novartis AG was founded in 1996 with the merger of Ciba-Geigy Ltd.
Veridian Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Veridian Corporation supplies IT services to the federal government.
Integrated Defense Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1998
Integrated Defense Technologies, Inc.
Teledyne Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Teledyne Technologies Inc.
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. →
Active · founded 2000 · The Netherlands
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Segway LLC →
Active · founded 2000
Segway LLC was created to market an upright, self-balancing people-mover called the Segway Human Transporter (HT).
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