2015 Event Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen, resigns in the midst of a scandal in which the company confessed to installing software in its cars for the last 7 years in order to fool emissions test devices while violating U.S. clean air standards 2015 Event Google, Inc. restructures, placing its search business and its various research ventures into a holding company called Alphabet; Google will begin reporting under the new company with the fourth quarter of this year 2015 Event Health insurance company Aetna announces that it will pay $37 billion for Humana in a combination of stock and cash; the new company will be better positioned to compete against larger rivals such as Anthem 2015 Event Debt rating company Moody's downgrades Greece to a Caa3 rating after the country misses its $1.6 billion payment to the IMF; Greek citizens will vote July 5th on whether to accept austerity conditions in exchange for bailout funds 2015 Event Dick Costolo, CEO of Twitter, steps down after the company reports poor first quarter results; cofounder Jack Dorsey will step in as temporary CEO, but Costolo will keep his position on the board 2015 Event Commercial space company SpaceX has been approved as a contractor to the U.S. military for satellite launches; SpaceX will compete for contracts against the Boeing-Lockheed Martin United Launch Alliance, currently the primary military launch provider 2015 Event Google will begin testing self-driving cars on the streets of Mountain View, California this summer; the company has tested modified versions of existing vehicles but will now test cars developed specifically for self-driving 2015 Event Gazprom, the state-owned Russian energy company, is sued by the E.U. for antitrust violations, including seeking control of pipelines in exchange for gas, charging steep prices, and limiting gas flows to nations beyond eastern Europe 2015 Event Amazon is again exempted from Federal Aviation Administration commercial drone flight prohibitions, allowing it to test delivery drones; the company had to reapply for exemption, as its drone fleet grew outdated while waiting for initial approval 2015 Event Venture capital company Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers has successfully defended itself in a gender discrimination lawsuit filed by former junior partner Ellen Pao; the case was monitored by Silicon Valley firms, which tend to be male-dominated 2015 Event H.J. Heinz Co and Kraft Foods Group Inc. will merge to form the third-largest global food company, Kraft Heinz Co.; the merger will be financed by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway and Jorge Paulo Lemann's 3G Capital 2015 Event Smartflash, a Texas technology licensing company, has won $532.9 million in a lawsuit against Apple for infringement of data management software patents; Apple claims that the patents are invalid and that it never used the technology in question 2015 Event RadioShack, the U.S. electronics retailer founded in 1921, files for bankruptcy; the company plans to sell up to half of its stores to Sprint and close the remainder 2015 Event E-commerce company eBay announces that it will lay off 2,400 employees in advance of its plans to spin off its PayPal unit; the split is expected to take place in mid-2015 2015 Event Commercial space company SpaceX successfully launches its Falcon 9 rocket, which has released the Dragon cargo ship into orbit to the International Space Station; the rocket returned to Earth after releasing the Dragon but had a rough landing 2015 Event The U.S. has fined American Honda Motor Company $70 million for neglecting to report, from mid-2003 to mid-2014, over 1,700 safety issues that resulted in deaths or injuries 2014 Event Walt Disney Company will be marketing the next Star Wars movie through a series of YouTube videos produced by its subsidiary, Maker; the videos will connect younger audiences to the characters and stories from earlier movies in the franchise 2014 Event Sony Corporation's gaming service is back online after a hacking attack disrupted its PlayStation Network; the company is probing whether this incident is related to the attack on its Sony Pictures Division earlier this month 2014 Event Office supply company Staples announces that up to 1.16 million cards may have been affected by a data breach in October; the company is offering free identity theft protection for shoppers at the affected stores and advises all customers to monitor their credit records 2014 Event Apple Inc. wins an antitrust lawsuit accusing it of blocking competing music providers in its iTunes 7.0 update; the company proved that its upgrades were product improvements and that consumers were still able to access music purchased elsewhere 2014 Event Taxi service company Uber expands its presence in Latin America by partnering with Carlos Slim's cell phone company America Movil to place the Uber app on mobil phones throughout Mexico 2014 Event Ford Motor Company begins using aluminum instead of steel in the body of its most popular truck, the F-150; the change has cost the company time and money in conversion of production lines but will make the vehicle more fuel efficient 2014 Event Broadcasting company CBS is moving to web-based programming by starting a 24-hour news streaming site, offering web access to its network for a monthly fee, and partnering with Sony to provide programs for a web-based TV service 2014 Event Discount retailer Wal-Mart says that it is sorry for labeling women's plus-sized Halloween costumes as 'Fat Girl Costumes' on its website; the company retitled the shopping category and has sent individual apologies to offended customers on Twitter 2014 Event Four former guards of security company Blackwater have been convicted of manslaughter and murder charges in the shooting of 31 unarmed Iraqi civilians seven years ago in Baghdad; the incident resulted in 14 deaths and 17 injuries 2014 Event EBay Inc. announces that it will split its PayPal unit into a separate company, raising the possibility of a PayPal buyout by mobile payment operators such as Google 2014 Event As the Ebola epidemic spreads, the World Health Organization (WHO) has requested Ebola vaccine doses from GlaxoSmithKline (Glaxo); the company offered the vaccine to WHO in March, but the offer was rejected because the vaccine had not been tested on humans 2014 Event Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange; its pre-IPO market valuation of almost $168 billion exceeds that of American e-commerce giant Amazon by over $17 billion 2014 Event Microsoft Corp. is planning to buy Mojang, the company that created the video game Minecraft; the purchase price would likely exceed $2 billion 2014 Event Apple Inc. is putting new security notifications in place after hackers gained access to celebrity iCloud accounts; the company denies any iCloud security compromises, stating that hackers used other methods to gain entry to the accounts 2014 Event Movie studio Warner Brothers announces plans to lay off employees and reduce costs in order to improve efficiency; parent company Time Warner Inc. is seeking improvements across its divisions after rejecting a buyout offer by Rupert Murdoch earlier this year 2014 Event Home Depot may be the source of a new data breach, resulting in theft of thousands of customer credit card numbers; the company was indicated as the source by various banks after the data appeared for sale online 2014 Event A U.S. lawsuit against IBM and Ford Motor Company, seeking damages for the companies' transactions with the former apartheid government, has been dismissed; the transactions were conducted by foreign units and are not under jurisdiction of U.S. law 2014 Event Burger King Worldwide Inc. will purchase Canadian restaurant chain Tim Hortons Inc. and move its headquarters to Canada; Burger King will pay a little over $11 billion in U.S. dollars, and the merger will create the third-largest global fast food company 2014 Event U.S. pharmaceutical company InterMune has been bought by Roche, the Swiss drug manufacturer, for $8.6 million; Roche will pay cash, offering a 38% premium on InterMune's current stock price of approximately $54/share 2014 Event Community Health Systems Inc., a private hospital company, reveals that Social Security numbers and other personal data were stolen for 4.5 million patients in April and June; the company believes the attack is the work of Chinese hackers 2014 Event Google will be launching a paid subscription-based music service featuring YouTube music video content; the service will be separate from the company's existing subscription music service on Google Play 2014 Event Drug manufacturer Mapp Biopharmaceutical states that it has run out of its experimental Ebola treatment drug; the company has been shipping all available stock without charge to West Africa in an attempt to treat victims of the current epidemic 2014 Event GM recalls 269,000 additional vehicles; the company has issued 66 recalls this year to date 2014 Event Real estate website company Zillow will buy rival Trulia for $3.5 billion in stock; the company will dominate the market for online searches of real estate 2014 Event Discount store Dollar Tree will buy rival Family Dollar for $8.5 billion; the merged company is expected to generate revenue in line with competitor Dollar General 2014 Event Amazon Inc. reports a $126 million loss for the second quarter, its second-highest loss on record; the company has been investing in new services to attract and retain more customers 2014 Event Multiple U.S. food chains in China drop meat supplier Shanghai Husi after reports that the company used expired meat and unsanitary processing conditions; companies include McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King and Starbucks 2014 Event Tobacco company R. J. Reynolds must pay over $23 billion in resolution of a lawsuit filed by the widow of a man who died from lung cancer at age 36; the suit accused the company of hiding the health risks and habit-forming nature of cigarettes 2014 Event Amazon announces its new Kindle Unlimited program, a subscription service providing borrowing rights to a large selection of books for a monthly fee; the service is drawing comparisons to movie rental company Netflix 2014 Event Time Warner, Inc. may be offered $75 billion by Twenty-First Century Fox in a proposed merger deal that would create the world's largest media company; Time Warner rejected an earlier proposal by Fox 2014 Event Facebook reports that over 90% of its tech employees are Asian or white, while women make up only 15% of tech employees and 31% of all employees; COO Cheryl Sandberg notes that more women are also needed in leadership roles at the company 2014 Event General Motors announces the recall of almost 3.4 additional vehicles for safety issues, bringing the current year recall total to almost 6 million; GM CEO Mary Barra has been keeping the U.S. Congress informed of the company's corrective actions 2014 Event Online travel reservation company Priceline has purchased online restaurant reservation company OpenTable, offering market expansion opportunities for both companies; Priceline paid $2.6 billion for the acquisition 2014 Event Tesla Motors announces that it will make hundreds of patents for its Model S electric cars open source; the company's founder, Elon Musk, seeks to encourage development of the electric car market 2014 Event Telecom company Vodafone reports that certain nations allow authorities direct access to citizen communications data without a warrant; the company is prohibited from revealing the names of these nations 2014 Event U.S. telecom company Sprint is in talks to purchase T-Mobile U.S.; the combined company will be better able to compete against market leaders Verizon and AT&T 2014 Event The CEO of BlackBerry Ltd. will be refocusing its business on software and services in an effort to turn around the company; once a leader in the smartphone market, the company's products now account for less than 1% of global market share 2014 Event Music curator and headphone maker Beats Electronics will become the latest acquisition of Apple, Inc.; Apple will pay $3 billion for the music company, started by music producer Jimmy Iovine and rap artist Dr. Dre 2014 Event eBay announces that its databases were accessed by hackers in February and March of this year; despite no reports to date of illicit activity arising from the cyberattack, the company is requiring all users to change their passwords 2014 Event General Motors announces an additional recall of 2.4 million vehicles as a proactive measure against discovery of further safety defects; in 2014 to date, the company has recalled over 13 million vehicles for safety issues 2014 Event eBay, Inc. will be introducing local, customized e-commerce sites and services throughout Latin America; the company will identify local demand in each market to provide targeted search results and offerings 2014 Event German company Linde begins constructing a facility to convert wind power to hydrogen; the plant will help Germany in its efforts to increase reliance on renewable energy sources 2014 Event 21st Century Fox, Inc. is seeking to sell its European pay TV assets to its BSkyB unit; this will enhance BSkyB's standing as a pay TV company while divesting Fox of its non-core business; such a deal must still receive regulatory approval 2014 Event Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce company, files plans for a U.S. IPO; the offering is expected to be one of the largest in the U.S. and may raise more funding than the Facebook IPO in 2012 2014 Event Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel has resigned in the wake of security breaches late last year in which customer data was stolen; the company will be run by John Mulligan, the company's Chief Financial Officer, until a new president is identified 2014 Event Online business networking site LinkedIn will be expanding its presence in Singapore's central business district; the company established headquarters in Singapore in 2011 and sees the prime location as a means to attract the best talent 2014 Event Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally, will retire in July and be replaced by Mark Fields; Mulally restored profitability and distinguished the company as the only Big Three automaker to refuse government bailouts during the 2008-2009 recession 2014 Event An Australian geophysical company has identified a large aluminum deposit that appeared around the time of the Malaysian Air Flight 370 disappearance on March 8th, suggesting that the plane may have crashed in the Bay of Bengal and not the Indian Ocean 2014 Event Space station astronauts received an Easter Day delivery in the form of the SpaceX Dragon cargo spaceship filled with food, supplies, equipment and care packages; the space station delivery was the fourth for the commercial space technology company 2014 Event AT&T adds an unnamed automaker to its list of car manufacturers using the company's wireless service for mobile connectivity on the road; current customers include Volvo, Tesla and General Motors 2014 Event Colombian coffee company Juan Valdez announces plans to go public in a couple of years; in the meantime, the company plans to expand its higher-end coffee shops around the globe in direct competition with Starbucks 2014 Event Elon Musk, head of Tesla Motors, Inc., announces that the company will begin selling its luxury electric cars in China this month 2014 Event The mall-building company owned by Filipino billionaire Henry Sy is set to accelerate mall development in China 2014 Event Exxon Mobil takes the initiative among energy companies to disclose its plans for dealing with climate change in response to a 2013 shareholder resolution; the company's move may set a standard for other energy companies to follow 2014 Event The world's largest banana company is created as the Irish fruit company Fyffes merges with U.S. company Chiquita; the new company, ChiquitaFyffes, will trade on the New York Stock Exchange 2014 Event German design company Art+Com sues Google, claiming the Internet company infringed on its patented spatial mapping technology by incorporating its features into Google Earth; Art+Com offered to sell the patent to Google in 2006 but wasn't satisfied with Google's offer 2014 Event Chinese automaker Dongfeng and the French government have each invested in PSA Peugeot Citroen, which ranked as the European car company with the lowest sales of new vehicles last year 2014 Event Coca Cola Company announces that it plans to reduce its costs by $1 billion over the next few years in an effort to counteract slowing demand 2014 Event Apple purchases SnappyLabs, a small company that makes a popular photography app; the $1 app enables smartphone users to modify how the built-in camera takes photos and how quickly the photos are taken 2014 Event Strong quarterly earnings cause Facebook stock to rise 16 percent; the company boasts 755 million active users, and its ad revenue increased by 76 percent year over year to $2.34 billion 2014 Event Apple announces its holiday earnings will be announced January 27; investors will care most about the company's iPhone and iPad sales 2013 Event U.S. automaker General Motors appoints Mary Barra CEO; she becomes the first female to become CEO of an automative company 2013 Event AMR Corporation, the parent company of American Airlines, merges with US Airways Group; American Airlines Group is formed and the public company begins trading on the NASDAQ under the symbol AAL 2013 Event A successor to the SR-71 Blackbird is being built by Lockheed Martin. The company's Advanced Development Programs, known by the alias Skunk Works, has taken on the challenge to builde the SR-72, capable of flying at mach 6 with expected delivery in 2023 2013 Event Credit card information, among other data of 2.9 million Adobe consumers was stolen during a cyber attack on the company's website 2013 Event As part of a strategy to focus on growth products, thrombosis drug brands manufactured by the GlaxoSmithKline pharmaceutical company is sold to Aspen Pharmacare for $1.13 billion 2013 Event Individuals from the Imperial Petroleum company in Indianapolis, Indiana, face charges for the largest tax and securities fraud scheme in Indiana history 2013 Event Apple introduces iOS 7; the seventh version of the company's mobile operating system contains significant user interface changes 2013 Event Apple Inc., may incur significant damages after a U.S. district court rules the company conspired to fix the prices of eBooks 2013 Event Pope Francis blessed thousands of Harley-Davidsons and their riders in Vatican Square; the riders were celebrating the company's 110th anniversary with a parade 2013 Event Shuanghui, a Chinese meat processing company, buys Smithfield Foods for $4.72 billion; Smithfield was the world's largest meat processing company 2013 Event The U.S. launches ta $6 billion money laundering prosecution against Liberty Reserve, a Costa Rican currency-transfer and payment-processing company 2013 Event In Belize, a construction company requiring road fill gravel destroys a 2,300 year-old Mayan pyramid 2013 Event Wal-Mart revenue exceeds that of Exxon Mobil, becoming the largest company by revenue on the Fortune 500 list 2013 Event The News Corporation phone hacking scandal results in the company's agreement to pay $139 million to American shareholders 2013 Event Tim Cook, CEO of Apple Inc., publishes a letter to Chinese customers, addressing issues regarding the company's warranty policies in China 2013 Event Research In Motion, the Canadian manufacturer of wireless devices, releases the Blackberry 10, its newest operating system for Blackberrys; the company also announces two smartphones, the Z10 and Q10 2013 Event In the wake of several anti-Semitic and racist posts on Twitter, a French court orders the company to reveal personal information about its users 2013 Event UK's oldest music retailer HMV calls in administrators after talks to rescue the company fail; the company which has over 4,500 employees, opened its first shop on Oxford Street in 1921 2012 Event A video of SpaceX's latest test of the company's Grasshopper rocket with vertical takeoff and vertical landing, is released; the rocket rose 131 feet, hovered and landed safely on the landing pad December 17, 2012 2012 Event UBS becomes the second bank after Barclays, to be fined for attempting to manipulate the Libor interbank lending rate; the company is fined $1.5 billion 2012 Event George Lucas sells Lucasfilm Ltd. to the Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion; the sale includes the rights to the 'Indiana Jones' and 'Star Wars' franchises 2012 Event A large crude deposit of oil is found by Permex, Mexico's state-owned oil company, in the northern state of Tamaulipas; deposits could contain 250 - 400 million barrels of oil 2012 Event The Japanese press reveals that Sharp Corporation, an electronics company, will cut 5,000 jobs worldwide 2012 Event Deutsche Bank, the German global financial services company, announces plans to cut 1,900 jobs 2012 Event The Egan-Jones Ratings Company projects Italy has a one-year default probability of 22%, downgrading the country to CCC+ from B+ 2012 Event Strong manufacturing figures and company earnings cause the Dow Jones Industrial Average to reach a four-year high 2012 Event Argentina's Senate passes President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner's bill to nationalize 51% of oil company YPF with overwhelming majority 2012 Event Jose Garc�a-Margallo y Marfil, Spain's foreign minister, attacks Argentina's decision to nationalize the Argentine oil company YPF 2012 Event Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina, introduces a bill to nationalize 51% of YPF, the Argentine oil company, to Congress 2012 Event U.S. company Google, Inc., announces its 2012 first quarter earnings rose by more than 24%, and net profits increased to $8.14 billion 2012 Event The American company Apple, Inc. announces it is worth over $600 billion dollars, making the technology company the largest in the world by market capitalization 2012 Event As part of a continued tightening on world sanctions on Iran, a Chinese company that insures ships will stop indemnifying tankers carrying Iranian oil 2012 Event Wikileaks begins releasing 5 million emails from Stratfor, a private intelligence company 2012 Event Procter & Gamble sells Pringles to the Kellogg Company for $2.7 billion 2012 Event American Airlines' parent company announces it will cut 13,000 jobs or 15% of its workforce 2012 Event A U.S. gene sequencing company, Illumina, adopts a poison pill strategy, fighting against a hostile big by Roche Holding 2012 Event Apple, Inc. reports over 37 million iPhones and over 15 million iPads were sold during the 2011 fourth quarter; the company generated over $127 billion in revenue 2012 Event The famous film and camera company Kodak, files for bankruptcy protection 2011 Event U.S. company Hewlett-Packard adds Ralph Whitworth from Relational Investors to it's corporate-government activists on its board of directors 2011 Event U.S. company Apple Inc. breaks company sales records with the release of its iPhone 4S smartphone with over 4 million units sold in 4 days 2011 Event The El Paso natural gas exploration and pipeline company is purchased by Kinder Morgan for $21.1 billion in cash and stock 2011 Event According to Bloomberg, Italian company Prada SpA is planning an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange 2011 Event The Tokyo Electric Power Company claims three Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant reactors partially melted down during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami 2011 Event Jimmy Choo, a U.S. company, is sold to Labelux, a private equity firm for $800 million 2011 Event The Tokyo Electric Power Company together with the Government of Japan will not cap compensation payments resulting from the Fukushima I nuclear accidents 2011 Event Each household within the exclusion zone of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant will receive 1 million yen from the Tokyo Electric Power Company 2011 Event With news that Facebook received investments of $500 million, analysts estimate the value of the company at $50 billion 2010 Event Microsoft cofounder, Paul Allen's company Interval Licensing LLC, files a patent infringement suit against Google, Apple, eBay, Facebook and others 2010 Event Google's internet content provider license is renewed by China; the company is allowed to continue operating in the country 2004 Event After popularizing the PC in the '80s, IBM sells its PC business to a Chinese company 2003 Death John Ritter, actor/comic, Three's Company, dies at 56 2002 Death Peg Phillips, actress/theater company founder, Northern Exposure, dies at 84 2001 Death Mary Kay Ash, businesswoman, started a major cosmetics company, dies at 83 2001 Death William Hewlett, "started an early ""garage"" company", co-founder of Hewlett-Packard, dies at 87 1999 Death Dave Longaberger, businessman, Basket company entrprenuer, dies at 64 1999 Death Jose Quintero, director, founded the Circle in the Square company, dies at 75 1998 Death Norman Fell, actor, Three's Company, dies at 74 1997 Death Audra Lindley, actress (Helen Roper-3's Company, Ropers), dies at 79 1996 Death Sidney George Gray, company secretary, dies at 82 1996 Death Angelo John Novarese, record company founder, dies at 72 1995 Event "Company" closes at Criterion Theater New York City after 68 performances 1995 Death Florence Greenberg, record company founder, dies at 82 1995 Death Jimmy Nash, record company owner, dies at 47 1995 Event "Company" opens at Criterion Theater New York City for 68 performances 1995 Death Carl E Jefferson, record company owner, dies at 74 1993 Event Shamrock Broadcasting, a Disney company, officially takes ownership of Cleveland's WMMS-FM/100.7 and WHK-AM/1420 1990 Event New York Telephone company announces that it wants Bronx area code 917 1990 Event "Carol and Company" starring Carol Burnette premieres on NBC-TV 1987 Event North American Philips Company unveils compact disc video 1987 Event Fred Currey acquires Greyhound Bus Company 1986 Event Protesters try to stop Land Rover motor company being sold to U.S. 1985 Event RJ Reynolds Company proposed a merger with Nabisco 1983 Event Security guard Victor Gerena robs West Hartford company of $7 million 1980 Event Ford Motor Company found innocent in death of 3 women in a fiery Pinto 1979 Event Percom Data Company Inc release Microdos for Radio Shack's TRS-80 1977 Event 36 die as grain elevator at Continental Grain Company plant explodes 1977 Event President Carter meets with 15 record company executives 1977 Death Ricardo Cortez, actor and director (Bad Company, Flesh), dies at 87 1973 Event Robert Joffrey Dance Company opens 1972 Birthday Ben Affleck, born in Berkeley, California, actor, director, screenwriter, Academy-award winner for Good Will Hunting, 1987, founded production company LivePlanet with actor Matt Damon 1972 Event "Company" closes at Alvin Theater New York City after 690 performances 1971 Event 25th Tony Awards: Sleuth and Company win 1970 Event "Company" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 690 performances 1970 Birthday Fran Robinson, born in California, actress, Lauren-Charlie and Company 1968 Death Cy Walter, pianist (3's Company), dies at 52 1968 Event London Bridge is sold to U.S. oil company to be erected in Arizona 1967 Birthday Vin Diesel, born in New York City, New York, actor, director, producer, appeared in 'The Fast and the Furious', 'Pitch Black', founder of One Race Films production company 1964 Event George Harrison changes his company's name from Mornyork to Harrisongs 1964 Event Ringo forms Brikley Building Company Ltd 1964 Event George Harrison forms Mornyork Ltd music publishing company 1963 Event Beatles begin their own music publishing company (Northern Songs) 1961 Death Juanita Hansen, actress (Fast Company), dies of heart ailment at 67 1960 Event Company Industrielle et Forestere (Indufor) forms in Brussels 1959 Birthday Jenilee Harrison, born in Glendale, California, actress, Cindy-3's Company, Dallas 1957 Birthday Alan Donnelly, born in England, politician, Labor Party, leader, European Parliamentary Labor Party, 1998 - 2005, founded, serves, as executive chairman of public affairs company, Sovereign Strategy, represents President of Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, at Grand Prix 1957 Event Wham-O Company produces the 1st Frisbee 1955 Birthday Priscilla Barnes, Ft. Dix, New Jersey, actress, License to Kill, 3s Company 1955 Birthday Andrew Stevens, born in Memphis, Tennessee, actor, Seduction, Boys in Company C, Fury 1955 Event U.S. Assay Office in Seattle, Washington closes Chase National (3rd largest bank) and Bank of the Manhattan Company (15th largest bank) merge to form Chase Manhattan 1953 Event "Two's Company" closes at Alvin Theater New York City after 90 performances 1952 Event "Two's Company" opens at Alvin Theater New York City for 90 performances 1951 Birthday Liz Phillips, born in New Jersey, composer, sound artist, interactive artist, creates sound installations relating to live forms, has held exhibitions at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, collaborated with Merce Cunningham Dance Company 1951 Event Persia nationalizes Anglo-Iranian Oil Company 1951 Birthday Robert Iger, born in Los Angeles, California, CEO of The Walt Disney Company, succeeded Michael Eisner 1949 Birthday Simon Kirke, rocker, Bad Company 1949 Birthday Simon Kirke, rock drummer, Bad Company 1949 Birthday Joyce DeWitt, born in Wheeling, West Virginia, actress, Janet Wood-Three's Company 1948 Birthday Shakti Gawain, author, personal development expert, environmentalist, wrote series of successful books, including 'Creative Visualization' and 'Creating True Prosperity', books have sold over 10 million copies, co-founder, New World Library Publishing Company 1948 Birthday John Ritter, born in Burbank, California, actor, Jack-3's Company, Hearts Afire 1948 Birthday Reed Hundt, born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Federal Communications Commission chairman, 1993 - 1997, advisor to McKinsey & Company 1948 Birthday John Browne, group chief executive, British Petroleum Company 1946 Birthday Suzanne Somers, San Bruno California, actress, 3's Company, Step by Step 1945 Birthday Hattie Winston, born in Greenville, Mississippi, actress on Nurse, Electric Company 1944 Birthday Mick Ralphs, born in Hereford, England, born Michael Geoffrey Ralphs, guitarist, songwriter, founding member of music bands Mott the Hopple and Bad Company 1944 Birthday John Napier, London, set designer for the Royal Shakesphere Company 1943 Birthday Stu Gilliam, Detroit, actor/comedian, Roll Out, Harris and Company 1943 Death Edsel Ford, owner (Ford Motor Company), dies at 49 1942 Birthday Donna McKechnie, Pontiac Michigan, actress/dancer, Company 1942 Death Hector Abbas, actor and director (Rosa Lynd Company), dies at 58 1942 Birthday Tom Peters, born in Baltimore, Maryland, writer, author, speaker, consultant, business management practices expert, co-wrote, 'In Search of Excellence', believes the least amount of overhead business processes can produce empowering decision-makers within an entire company organization 1941 Birthday Beth Howland, born in Boston, Massachusetts, actress, Vera-Alice, Company 1940 Event Luftwaffe bombs Bristol Aeroplane Company 1940 Event 49 die and 200 injured when Hercules Powder Company plant explodes, New Jersey 1940 Birthday Kip King, born in Chicago, Illinois, actor, Charlie and Company 1940 Birthday James Blyth, born in Britain, businessman, head of defense sales for Ministry of Defense, chairman, London Business School, CEO, The Boots Company 1938 Birthday David Borden, born in Boston, Massachusetts, composer, minimalist music, jazz pianist, founded Mother Mallard's Portable Masterpiece Company, the world's first synthesizer ensemble, wrote vocal, chamber ensemble, music, style similar to Phillip Glass, Terry Riley 1938 Birthday H N L Keswick CEO, Matheson and Company 1937 Birthday Ronald Brierley, company chairman 1937 Birthday Varbara Ann Teer, U.S. actress/director, National Black Theatre Company 1934 Birthday Jacques d'Amboise, born in Dedham, Massachusetts, ballet dancer, New York City Ballet Company 1934 Birthday Simon Mackay, born in Scotland, born Simon Mackay, Baron Tanlaw of Tanlawhill in the County of Dumfries, Lord Tannlaw, crossbench member of the House of Lords, director or family company Inchape 1932 Event Dutch 2nd Chamber accepts Company consultant 1932 Birthday Peter Holmes, CEO, Shell Transport and Trading Company 1931 Birthday Dean Jones, Decatur Ala, actor, Ensign O'Toole, Company, Love Bug 1930 Birthday Peter Hall, born in Suffolk, England, director, Royal Shakespeare Company 1930 Birthday Stephen Sondheim, born in New York City, lyricist, West Side Story, Company 1929 Birthday Berry Gordy, Jr., Detroit, record company owner, Motown 1928 Event Scotch tape 1st marketed by 3-M Company 1927 Event Ford Motor Company produces last "Tin Lizzie" (begins Model A) 1927 Event Ford Motor Company manufactures its 15 millionth Model T automobile 1927 Birthday Betsy Ancker-Johnson, physicist and auto company executive 1927 Event Alfred Hugenberg purchases German film company UFA 1926 Birthday Cicely Berry, voice director, Royal Shakespeare Company 1926 Birthday John Clark, CEO, Plessey Company 1926 Birthday Elaine Stritch, born in Detroit, Michigan, actress, My Sister Eileen, Company 1926 Birthday Charles Tidbury, former chairman, Whitbread and Company 1925 Birthday Marvin Davis, Newark, New Jersey, CEO, Davis Oil Company 1925 Birthday David Bache, born in Worcestershire, England, David Ernest Bache, son of footballer Joe Bache, car designer, worked with Rover, established design company David Bache Associates, created the Land Rover, Series II Land Rover 1924 Birthday Don Knotts, born in Morgantown, West Virginia, actor, Amdy Griffth Show, 3's Company 1924 Event Ford Motor Company manufactures its 10 millionth Model T automobile 1924 Birthday Norman Fell, Philadelphia, actor, Mr Roper-3's Company, The End, Graduate 1923 Birthday Angelo John Novarese, record company founder 1923 Event Disney company founded 1923 Birthday William B. Williams, born in Babylon, New York, DJ, WNEW, Sammy and Company 1923 Birthday Ewart G Abner, record company executive 1923 Birthday Douglas Wass, CEO, Equity and Law Life Assurance Company 1923 Event Ink paste manufactured for 1st time by Standard Ink Company 1922 Event Walt Disney incorporates his 1st film company Laugh-O-Gram Films 1921 Event Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti convicted in Dedham Massachusetts, of killing their shoe company's paymaster 1920 Event Joseph Horne Company in Pittsburgh sells radios for $10 1918 Birthday Audra Lindley, born in Los Angeles, California, actress, Helen Roper-3's Company, Ropers 1916 Event Suriname Bauxite Company forms in Paramaribo 1915 Event Ford Motor Company manufactures its 1 millionth Model T automobile 1915 Birthday Cy Walter, born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, pianist, 3's Company 1914 Birthday Sidney George Gray, company secretary 1912 Birthday Edgar Evans, born in Cardiganshire, Wales, tenor, singer, founder of Covent Garden Opera Company, performed more than 45 roles 1912 Birthday Ian Morrow, company director 1909 Event Anglo-Persian Oil Company forms in London 1907 Birthday Phyllis Pearsall-Gross, British Geographer, A to Z Map Company 1907 Birthday Owain Jenkins, company director 1905 Event Atlanta Life Insurance Company forms 1905 Death Ernst Abbe, German physicist (Carl Zeiss Optics Company), dies at 64 1904 Event Bell Telephone Company of Antwerp Belgium forms 1903 Event Pepsi Cola company forms 1902 Event Texas Oil Company, Texaco, forms 1901 Event Hawaii's 1st telegraph company opens 1898 Event North Carolina Mutual and Provident Insurance Company forms 1895 Event 1st auto manufacturer opens-Duryea Motor Wagon Company 1895 Birthday Juanita Hansen, born in Iowa, actress in Fast Company, Broadway Love 1894 Event Workers in Pittsburgh strike Pullman sleeping car company 1893 Birthday William March, Campbell, U.S., writer, Company K 1893 Event Bronx Gas and Electric Company opens on Frisby and Tremont Ave 1892 Event Book matches are patented by Diamond Match Company 1892 Event General Electric Company, forms and is incorporated in New York 1891 Event Conductors on London General Omnibus Company go on strike 1890 Event King Mwanga of Uganda signs contract with East Africa Company 1888 Event French Panama Canal company fails 1888 Event Lord Salisbury grants Cecil Rhodes charter for BSA Company 1888 Event East Africa Company political and commercial rights 1886 Event George Goldie gets charter for Royal Niger Company 1884 Birthday Hector Abbas, actor and director, Rosa Lynd Company 1882 Event Matson founds his shipping company (San Francisco and Hawaii) 1880 Event Tobacco Growers' Mutual Insurance Company incorporates in Connecticut 1879 Event Ferdinand de Lesseps forms French Panama Canal Company 1878 Event Edison Electric Light Company incorporated 1876 Birthday Frank L Gillespie, Arkansas, founded Supreme Life Insurance Company 1876 Birthday Katherine Griffith, born in San Francisco, California, actress, Pollyanna, Fast Company 1875 Birthday Walter Chrysler, founded car company, Chrysler 1872 Event Metropolitan Gas Company lamps lit for 1st time 1869 Event Hudson Bay Company cedes it's territory to Canada 1866 Birthday Cornelis J K van Aalst, president, Dutch Trading Company 1866 Event 1st U.S. company to make sewing needles by machine incorporated, Connecticut 1862 Event North Beach and Mission Railway Company organized in SF 1860 Birthday Will Keith Kellogg, born in America, vegetarian, founder of Kellogg Company, pioneered process of making flaked cereal, promoted corn flakes as a healthy breakfast cereal 1858 Event Government of India transferred from East India Company to Crown 1857 Birthday Fannie Farmer, actress, namesake of a candy company 1852 Event Telegraph company opens throughout Netherlands 1850 Birthday Albert Spaulding, baseball player/founded Spaulding sports company 1850 Event Empire Engine Company No 1 organized 1848 Death John Jacob Astor, charted American Fur Company, dies at 84 1847 Event United Shakespeare Company buys his home in Stratford-upon-Avon 1844 Birthday Henry John Heinz, founded prepared-foods company, 57 varieties 1843 Event 1st chartered mutual life insurance company opens 1842 Birthday Carl Rosa, Hamburg Germany, founder, Rosa opera company 1842 Event 1st adhesive postage stamps in U.S. (private delivery company), New York City 1840 Birthday Ernst Abbe, Germany, physicist, Carl Zeiss Optics Company 1839 Event The Cunard Steamship Company Ltd forms San Bonifacio 1839 Event Aden conquered by British East India Company 1835 Event Charles Darwin company celebrates Christmas in Pahia, New Zealand 1835 Event 1st U.S. mutual fire insurance company issues 1st policy (RI) 1834 Event Charles Darwin's company passes Tagua-tagua-more Chile 1827 Event Dutch Trade Company NHM gets opium monopoly on Java 1810 Event 1st U.S. fire insurance joint-stock company organized, Philadelphia 1810 Event 1st insurance co managed by blacks, American Insurance Company of Philadelphia 1800 Event Dutch East Indies Company dissolves 1799 Event Bank of Manhattan Company opens in New York City (forerunner to Chase Manhattan) 1775 Event 1st U.S. joint stock company (to make cloth) offers shares at 10 cents 1771 Event West Indian Company and Amsterdam divide up Suriname 1768 Event 1st American chartered fire insurance company opens (Penn) 1762 Birthday Sebastiaan C. Nederburgh, director-general, East Indies Company 1760 Death Gerard George Clifford, head of East-Indian Company, dies at 75 1759 Event 1st American life insurance company incorporated, Philadelphia 1749 Event English Ohio Trade Company forms 1st trade post 1749 Event George II grants charter to Ohio Company to settle Ohio Valley 1712 Death John Luyken, poet/etcher (species company), dies at 63 1685 Birthday Gerard George Clifford, Dutch director of East India Company 1683 Event West Indian Company sells 1/3 of Suriname 1674 Event 2nd West Indie Company forms 1670 Event King Charles II charters Hudson Bay Company 1668 Event English king Charles II gives Bombay to East India Company 1663 Event King Charles II affirms charter of Royal African Company 1641 Event West India Company conquerors Sao Paulo de Loanda, Angola 1641 Event United East Indian Company conquerors city of Malakka, 7,000 killed 1627 Event English king Charles I establishes Guyana Company 1621 Event Dutch West India Company receives charter for "New Netherlands" (NY) 1606 Event Virginia Company settlers leave London to establish Jamestown Va 1602 Event United Dutch East Indian Company (VOC) forms 1601 Event John Lancaster leads 1st East India Company voyage from London 1600 Event British East India Company chartered 1597 Event 1st Dutch East India Company ships returned from Far East 1594 Event Company of Distant established for business on East-Indies
