COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3011

Tires and Inner Tubes

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

20companies1872–1984founding years20still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedPirelli S.p.A.FoundedPirelli S.p.A.
1872
FoundedThe Kelly-Springfield Tire CompanyFoundedThe Kelly-Springfield Tire Company
1894
FoundedThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber CompanyFoundedThe Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company
1898
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.
FoundedContinental General Tire Corp.FoundedContinental General Tire Corp.FoundedGeneral Tire, Inc.
1915
FoundedThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.FoundedThe Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
1917
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.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented at Bell Labs.
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedBandag, Inc.FoundedBandag, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedCooper Tire & Rubber CompanyFoundedCooper Tire & Rubber Company
1960
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.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher.
FoundedGrupo Carso, S.A. de C.V.FoundedGrupo Carso, S.A. de C.V.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedDanaher Corporation
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
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

Pirelli S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1872 · Italy
Pirelli S.p.A.
Pirelli S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1872 · Italy
Pirelli S.p.A.
The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company →
Active · founded 1894
The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in…
The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company →
Active · founded 1894
The Kelly-Springfield Tire Company, which became a wholly owned subsidiary of The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in…
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1898
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear) is a major manufacturer, distributor, and seller of tires worldwide and…
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1898
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (Goodyear) is a major manufacturer, distributor, and seller of tires worldwide and…
Continental General Tire Corp. →
Active · founded 1915
Continental General Tire Corp.
Continental General Tire Corp. →
Active · founded 1915
Continental General Tire Corp.
General Tire, Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
General Tire, Inc., is a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of tires of all kinds and is a major exporter of…
General Tire, Inc. →
Active · founded 1915
General Tire, Inc., is a world leader in the manufacture and marketing of tires of all kinds and is a major exporter of…
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
With an estimated four percent of global tire and rubber sales in the early 1990s, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1917 · Japan
With an estimated four percent of global tire and rubber sales in the early 1990s, The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd.
Bandag, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Bandag, Inc.
Bandag, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Bandag, Inc.
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1960
America's fourth largest tire manufacturer, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company ranks among the world's top ten tiremakers and…
Cooper Tire & Rubber Company →
Active · founded 1960
America's fourth largest tire manufacturer, Cooper Tire & Rubber Company ranks among the world's top ten tiremakers and…
Grupo Carso, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1980 · Mexico
Grupo Carso, S.A.
Grupo Carso, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1980 · Mexico
Grupo Carso, S.A.
Danaher Corporation →
Active · founded 1984 · United States
Danaher Corporation, a holding company established in 1984, currently consists of thirteen wholly owned subsidiaries…
Danaher Corporation →
Active · founded 1984 · United States
Danaher Corporation, a holding company established in 1984, currently consists of thirteen wholly owned subsidiaries…
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