COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 3571

Electronic Computers

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

41companies1884–1991founding years38still active3no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedPiaggio & C. S.p.A.
1884
FoundedToshiba Corporation
1896
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedBrunswick Corporation
1907
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHarris Corporation
1926
FoundedFujitsu Limited
1935
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.
FoundedLitton Industries, Inc.
1953
FoundedControl Data Systems, Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedSchneider S.A.
1966
FoundedDatapoint Corporation
1968
FoundedIntergraph Corporation
1969
TechnologyARPANET, the internet's precursor, goes live.
FoundedAmdahl Corporation
1970
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedAcer Inc.
1976
FoundedHypercom Corporation
1978
FoundedGT Bicycles
1979
FoundedAST Research Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEncore Computer CorporationFoundedFranklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedSBS Technologies, Inc.
1986
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
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.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
1997
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.
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

Piaggio & C. S.p.A. →
Active · founded 1884 · Italy
Piaggio & C.
Schwinn Cycle and Fitness L.P. →
Active · founded 1895
For most of its century-long history Schwinn Cycle and Fitness L.P.
Toshiba Corporation →
Active · founded 1896 · Japan
Toshiba Corporation is one of Japan's oldest and largest producers of consumer and industrial electric products.
Harley-Davidson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
The only motorcycle manufacturer in the United States, Harley-Davidson, Inc.
Brunswick Corporation →
Active · founded 1907
Brunswick Corporation, the oldest and largest manufacturer of recreation and leisure-time products in the United…
Roadmaster Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1925
Roadmaster Industries Inc.
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Playskool, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Playskool, Inc.
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Fujitsu Limited →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Perhaps the most dramatic example of Japan's ability to overcome long odds in a short space of time has been the growth…
Canon Inc. →
Active · founded 1937 · Japan
Although it scarcely predates World War II, Canon Inc.
Litton Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
The U.S.
Casio Computer Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1957 · Japan
Casio Computer Co., Ltd.
Control Data Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Control Data Systems, Inc., (CDSI) provides computer systems integration services to businesses and governments around…
Commodore International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1958 · United States
Commodore International Ltd.
Schneider S.A. →
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
Telxon Corporation →
Active · founded 1967
Telxon Corporation is a world leader in the design, manufacture, integration, and marketing of portable and wireless…
Data General Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Data General Corporation is a manufacturer of multi-user computer systems: minicomputers, workstations, and servers.
Datapoint Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Datapoint Corporation has a proud history as one of the most innovative American computer companies, and today, despite…
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1968
Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation is an industry leader in computer graphics, especially in providing realistic…
Intergraph Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1969
Intergraph Corporation develops and sells software, hardware, and services for technical professionals, particularly…
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1969 · South Korea
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., is the chief subsidiary of South Korea's giant Samsung Group and one of the largest…
Amdahl Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Amdahl Corporation is a leading manufacturer of large-scale data-processing systems.
Cannondale Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Cannondale Corporation is a world-class leader in the design and manufacture of high-end, high-performance aluminum…
Standard Microsystems Corporation →
Active · founded 1971
Since being incorporated in 1971, Standard Microsystems Corporation has evolved from a semiconductor supplier to a…
Acer Inc. →
Active · founded 1976 · Taiwan
Called "the region's most impressive technology company" in a 1996 article in The Economist, Acer Inc.
Trek Bicycle Corporation →
Active · founded 1976
Trek Bicycle Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of bicycles sold by specialty retailers.
Hypercom Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1978
A leader in its field, Hypercom Corporation develops, manufactures, and markets electronic payment hardware and…
Aprilia SpA →
Active · founded 1979 · Italy
With revenues quadrupling from 1992 to 1995, Italy's Aprilia SpA is Europe's fastest growing motorcycle maker.
GT Bicycles →
Active · founded 1979
GT Bicycles is the nation's leading supplier of dirt-track racing, or bicycle motocross "BMX," bicycles and one of the…
Zenith Data Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
Zenith Data Systems, Inc.
AST Research Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
AST Research Inc., is the third-largest American manufacturer of personal computers based on the industry standard…
Compaq Computer Corporation →
Defunct · founded 1982
Compaq Computer Corporation is the world's largest supplier of personal computers and, as a result of its acquisition…
CompuAdd Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1982
One of the world's leading direct marketers of computers and peripheral equipment, CompuAdd Computer Corporation…
Encore Computer Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Encore Computer Corporation is one of the leading American manufacturers of open, scalable computer and storage systems…
Everex Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Headquartered in Fremont, California, Everex Systems Inc.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Packard Bell Electronics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
Packard Bell Electronics, Inc.
SBS Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
SBS Technologies, Inc.
RockShox, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
RockShox, Inc.
Discreet Logic Inc. →
Active · founded 1991 · Canada
Montreal-based Discreet Logic Inc.
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