Germany

§ 01

Germany companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory

FoundedPaulaner Brauerei GmbH & Co. KG

1634

1839

TechnologyGoodyear discovers how to vulcanize rubber.

FoundedJenoptik AG

1846

1851

TechnologySinger's sewing machine mechanizes garment-making.

1856

TechnologyBessemer's process makes cheap steel possible.

1857

EconomyThe Panic of 1857 spreads through banks and railroads.

1859

TechnologyDrake's well at Titusville launches the oil industry.

FoundedDeutz AG

1864

1867

TechnologyNobel patents dynamite.

1869

EconomyThe transcontinental railroad links the American coasts.

EconomyThe Suez Canal opens, reshaping global shipping.

FoundedContinental AG

1871

1873

EconomyLevi Strauss patents riveted denim work pants.

EconomyThe Panic of 1873 triggers a global depression.

FoundedVaillant GmbH

1874

1876

TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.

1879

TechnologyEdison demonstrates a practical incandescent lamp.

FoundedBeiersdorf AG

1882

TechnologyEdison's Pearl Street Station opens the electric-utility era.

1886

EconomyCoca-Cola is first served in Atlanta.

TechnologyThe Hall-Heroult process makes aluminum cheap to produce.

1888

TechnologyKodak's roll-film camera brings photography to everyone.

FoundedRheinmetall Berlin AG

1889

1893

EconomyThe Panic of 1893 pulls down banks and overbuilt railroads.

FoundedDEUTSCHE BABCOCK AG

1898

1903

TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.

FoundedDeutsche BP Aktiengesellschaft

1904

1908

TechnologyFord's Model T puts the automobile within reach of the middle class.

FoundedAldi Group

1913

TechnologyFord's moving assembly line transforms factory production.

1914

EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.

1916

EconomyPiggly Wiggly opens the first self-service grocery store.

FoundedBraun GmbH

1921

1925

EconomyThe Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting from Nashville.

FoundedDeutsche Lufthansa AG

1926

1927

TechnologyThe Jazz Singer ushers in the era of sound films.

TechnologyLindbergh flies the Atlantic solo, and aviation captures the public.

1928

TechnologyPenicillin is discovered, opening the age of antibiotics.

1929

EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.

1931

EconomyThe Empire State Building rises in just over a year.

1933

EconomyThe first drive-in movie theater opens in New Jersey.

FoundedGroz-Beckert Group

1937

EconomyThe Golden Gate Bridge opens as the world's longest suspension span.

1939

EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.

1945

EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.

1946

TechnologyENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, is unveiled.

1947

TechnologyThe transistor is invented.

FoundedPuma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport

1948

EconomyThe Deutsche Mark launches; the postwar Wirtschaftswunder begins.

FoundedSPAR Handels AG

1952

1955

EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.

EconomyDisneyland opens and invents the modern theme park.

1956

TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.

1958

TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.

1962

EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.

EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.

FoundedRoland Berger & Partner GmbH

1967

1969

TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.

1971

EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.

1973

EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.

1975

TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.

FoundedSAP AG

1976

1979

EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.

1981

TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.

TechnologyThe first US in-vitro fertilization baby is born.

1984

TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.

1987

EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.

FoundedGerry Weber International AG

1989

HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.

1990

HistoryGerman reunification remakes the national economy.

1991

TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.

TechnologyLinux and open source challenge proprietary software.

1993

TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.

1994

TechnologyE-commerce begins to disrupt retail.

1995

TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.

1997

EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.

EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.

1999

TechnologyNapster ignites the digital disruption of recorded music.

2000

EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.

TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.

2002

EconomyThe euro enters circulation across the eurozone.

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.

Germany companies over time

The companies

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