The Goodyear Tire & Rubber CompanyLifestyle Collections
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 when 38-year-old Frank Seiberling bought an abandoned strawboard factory on the banks of the Little Cuyahoga River in Akron, Ohio. The timing coincided with the boom in popularity of the bicycle in the 1890’s, which saw sales and public enthusiasm for cycling reach fever pitch. At the same time the horseless carriage craze was gripping America and automobile plants sprang up throughout the US to meet the growing demand. Poised to capitalise on the rapidly growing US road transport industry, Goodyear began production on November 21, 1898, with a product line of bicycle and carriage tires, horseshoe pads and poker chips. From its first bicycle tire in 1898, Goodyear’s rise was meteoric, becoming the world’s largest tire company and adopting the slogan , “More people ride on Goodyear tires than on any other kind” in 1916, and becoming the world’s largest rubber company in 1926. Today, Goodyear measures sales of nearly $20bn and continues to add to its illustrious legacy of entrepreneurial brilliance, true grit and the determination to remain a market leader. Goodyear’s Winged Foot trademark remains an integralpart of the Goodyear signature, a symbolic link with thecompany’s historic past and their dynamic future. GOODYEAR HISTORY1898 The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was named in honour of Charles Goodyear, who discovered the rubber vulcanization process in 1839. 1901 The first advertisement published in the Saturday Evening Post with the Winged Foot trademark. Goodyear started the production of shoe soles and heels. 1911 Goodyear tires were used on the first transcontinental flight from California to New York and on the world record flight from St. Louis to New York. 1916 Goodyear became the world’s largest tire company and initiated the slogan “More people ride on Goodyear tires than any other kind.” 1925 Goodyear’s airship named The Pilgrim was the first commercial non-rigid airship flown using helium. 1926 Goodyear became the world’s largest rubber company. 1962 Goodyear experiments with synthetic resins led to polyester tire cord, clothing and other products. 1964 Craig Breedlove set a speed record of 526.28 mph in the jet-powered Spirit of America equipped with Goodyear tires. 1971 Goodyear put the first tire on the moon by equipping the Apollo 14 Modular Equipment Transporter (or moon buggy) with specially designed tires. 1997 Signed deal with NASCAR, making Goodyear the exclusive tire supplier to NASCAR’s top three race divisions. 2011 Goodyear ranked in Reuters Top 100 Global Innovators list.2014 Goodyear celebrated its 60th anniversary of supplying race tires to NASCAR. Today Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tire companies, with operations in most regions of the world.
Goodyear has always val...
