COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2721

Trade Journals: Publishing Only

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

72companies1835–1997founding years68still active4no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironment
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
FoundedSoutham Inc.
1871
FoundedThe Times Mirror Company
1884
FoundedWaverly, Inc.
1892
FoundedThomas Publishing Company
1898
FoundedWorld Color Press Inc.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyThe Ford Model T brings the automobile to the middle class.
FoundedPenton Media, Inc.
1910
1913
EconomyThe Federal Reserve is created.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedAdvance Publications Inc.
1924
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression begins.
1933
EconomyNew Deal reforms reshape banking and industry.
FoundedConsumers Union
1936
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.
FoundedPlayboy Enterprises, Inc.
1953
1956
EconomyThe Interstate Highway program remakes commerce.
FoundedHachette Filipacchi Medias S.A.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedMaxwell Communication Corporation plc
1964
FoundedMultimedia, Inc.
1968
1970
EnvironmentThe EPA is founded; environmental regulation expands.
FoundedCMP Media Inc.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; Nasdaq opens.
FoundedNews America Publishing Inc.
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.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAxel Springer Verlag AG
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall 22% in a single day.
FoundedPrimedia Inc.
1989
FoundedOrkla A/S
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

Burda Holding GmbH. & Co. →
Active · Germany
Burda Holding GmbH.
Burda Holding GmbH. & Co. →
Active · Germany
Burda Holding GmbH.
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Southam Inc. →
Active · founded 1871 · Canada
Southam Inc.
Southam Inc. →
Active · founded 1871 · Canada
Southam Inc.
Bauer Publishing Group →
Active · founded 1875 · Germany
Bauer Publishing Group is the largest magazine publisher in Germany and one of the largest in Europe, offering a wide…
Bauer Publishing Group →
Active · founded 1875 · Germany
Bauer Publishing Group is the largest magazine publisher in Germany and one of the largest in Europe, offering a wide…
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
The Times Mirror Company →
Active · founded 1884
The Times Mirror Company ranks among the top five newspaper companies in the United States.
The Washington Post Company →
Active · founded 1889
The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries are leaders in the news and communications media industry.
The Washington Post Company →
Active · founded 1889
The Washington Post Company and its subsidiaries are leaders in the news and communications media industry.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
N.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf →
Active · founded 1893 · The Netherlands
N.V.
N.V. Holdingmaatschappij De Telegraaf →
Active · founded 1893 · The Netherlands
N.V.
Thomas Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1898
Celebrating its centennial in 1998, Thomas Publishing Company is a niche reference book publisher dedicated to…
Thomas Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1898
Celebrating its centennial in 1998, Thomas Publishing Company is a niche reference book publisher dedicated to…
Butterick Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
Butterick Co., Inc.
Butterick Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
Butterick Co., Inc.
World Color Press Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
World Color Press Inc.
World Color Press Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
World Color Press Inc.
Groupe Les Echos →
Active · founded 1908 · France
A member of British media giant the Pearson Group since 1988, Groupe Les Echos is among France's leading financial and…
Groupe Les Echos →
Active · founded 1908 · France
A member of British media giant the Pearson Group since 1988, Groupe Les Echos is among France's leading financial and…
Penton Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
Considered a primary business resource by marketing leaders around the world, Penton Media, Inc.
Penton Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1910
Considered a primary business resource by marketing leaders around the world, Penton Media, Inc.
Harcourt Brace and Co. →
Active · founded 1919
Harcourt Brace and Co.
Harcourt Brace and Co. →
Active · founded 1919
Harcourt Brace and Co.
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Advance Publications Inc. →
Active · founded 1924
Family owned and operated, Advance Publications Inc.
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
Consumers Union →
Active · founded 1936
Consumers Union is the nonprofit organization that publishes the monthly magazine Consumer Reports, dedicated to…
Consumers Union →
Active · founded 1936
Consumers Union is the nonprofit organization that publishes the monthly magazine Consumer Reports, dedicated to…
Petersen Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1949
A rising force in the publishing industry, Petersen Publishing Company publishes a host of monthly, bimonthly,…
Petersen Publishing Company →
Active · founded 1949
A rising force in the publishing industry, Petersen Publishing Company publishes a host of monthly, bimonthly,…
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
Playboy Enterprises, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
Playboy Enterprises, Inc.
John Fairfax Holdings Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Australia
John Fairfax Holdings Limited is the holding company for an Australian publishing enterprise established more than 150…
John Fairfax Holdings Limited →
Active · founded 1955 · Australia
John Fairfax Holdings Limited is the holding company for an Australian publishing enterprise established more than 150…
Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1957 · France
The June 1997 fusion of Filipacchi Medias S.A.
Hachette Filipacchi Medias S.A. →
Defunct · founded 1957 · France
The June 1997 fusion of Filipacchi Medias S.A.
International Data Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Over the course of some 30 years, Patrick J.
International Data Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1964
Over the course of some 30 years, Patrick J.
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc →
Active · founded 1964 · United Kingdom
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc (MCC) was formerly one of the world's ten largest media groups, with interests in…
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc →
Active · founded 1964 · United Kingdom
Maxwell Communication Corporation plc (MCC) was formerly one of the world's ten largest media groups, with interests in…
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Essence Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Essence Communications, Inc.
Essence Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Essence Communications, Inc.
CMP Media Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
When CMP Media Inc.
CMP Media Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
When CMP Media Inc.
Mecklermedia Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1971
Mecklermedia Corporation is a small but important player in the world of the Internet, with a relatively long history…
Mecklermedia Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1971
Mecklermedia Corporation is a small but important player in the world of the Internet, with a relatively long history…
News America Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
News America Publishing Inc.
News America Publishing Inc. →
Active · founded 1973
News America Publishing Inc.
Cadmus Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Cadmus Communications Corporation was named after the Greek mythological figure who founded Thebes and introduced the…
Cadmus Communications Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
Cadmus Communications Corporation was named after the Greek mythological figure who founded Thebes and introduced the…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Bloomberg L.P. →
Active · founded 1986
Bloomberg L.P.
Bloomberg L.P. →
Active · founded 1986
Bloomberg L.P.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
American Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
American Media, Inc.
American Media, Inc. →
Active · founded 1990
American Media, Inc.
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Orkla A/S →
Active · founded 1991 · Norway
Orkla A/S is the largest branded consumer goods group and food and beverage producer in Scandinavia and one of the five…
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C. →
Active · founded 1997
Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, L.L.C.
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