COMPANYHISTORIES
NAIC 21221

Gold Ore Mining

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

20companies1877–1999founding years20still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedHomestake Mining Company
1877
FoundedGold Fields Ltd.
1887
FoundedAntofagasta plc
1888
FoundedBenguet Corporation
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedLonmin plc
1909
FoundedFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.
1912
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedInco Limited
1916
FoundedNoranda Inc.
1922
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedHylsamex, S.A. de C.V.
1943
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedRio Tinto PLC
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedEcho Bay Mines Ltd.
1964
FoundedGrupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
1965
FoundedAgnico-Eagle Mines LimitedFoundedGlamis Gold, Ltd.
1972
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedBarrick Gold Corporation
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedPlacer Dome Inc.
1987
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedKinross Gold Corporation
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedMeridian Gold, Incorporated
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
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

Homestake Mining Company →
Active · founded 1877
Owner and operator of the oldest gold mine in the United States, Homestake Mining Company is an international gold…
Gold Fields Ltd. →
Active · founded 1887 · South Africa
Gold Fields Ltd.
Antofagasta plc →
Active · founded 1888 · United Kingdom
Antofagasta plc is one of the world's leading producers of copper, with total production levels nearing 472,000 tons in…
Benguet Corporation →
Active · founded 1903 · Philippines
Former Philippines mining giant Benguet Corporation has been redefining itself as a "total natural resource development…
Lonmin plc →
Active · founded 1909 · United Kingdom
Lonmin plc--formerly known as Lonrho plc--is the third-largest platinum producer in the world.
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc. →
Active · founded 1912
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, Inc.
Inco Limited →
Active · founded 1916 · Canada
Inco Limited is one of the world's top producers of nickel.
Noranda Inc. →
Active · founded 1922 · Canada
Noranda Inc.
Hylsamex, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1943 · Mexico
Hylsamex, S.A.
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited →
Active · founded 1950 · South Africa
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited Address: Harmony Farm 222, Private Road Glen Harmony, Virginia, Free State South…
Rio Tinto PLC →
Active · founded 1962 · United Kingdom
An estimated 79 percent of Rio Tinto PLC's assets are in Australia, New Zealand, and North America, with the rest…
Echo Bay Mines Ltd. →
Active · founded 1964
Echo Bay Mines Ltd.
Grupo Mexico, S.A. de C.V. →
Active · founded 1965 · Mexico
Grupo Mexico, S.A.
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited →
Active · founded 1972 · Canada
Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited is a Toronto-based Canadian gold producer, with its shares trading on the Toronto Stock…
Glamis Gold, Ltd. →
Active · founded 1972
Glamis Gold, Ltd.
Barrick Gold Corporation →
Active · founded 1980 · Canada M5J 2J3
Barrick Gold Corporation is an anomaly in the gold exploration and mining industry; it has little debt and low-cost…
Placer Dome Inc. →
Active · founded 1987 · Canada
Placer Dome Inc., the fifth largest gold mining company in the world, produces approximately 3.5 million ounces of gold…
Kinross Gold Corporation →
Active · founded 1993 · Canada
In just five years Kinross Gold Corporation went from a newly formed company to North America's fifth largest gold…
Meridian Gold, Incorporated →
Active · founded 1996
Meridian Gold, Incorporated mines for gold and silver.
Anglo American PLC →
Active · founded 1999 · United Kingdom
Anglo American PLC is considered the world's largest gold-mining organization.
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