COMPANYHISTORIES

Austria

Companies based in Austria, and the events that shaped them.

15companies1819–1997founding years14still active1no longer operating
§ 01

Austria companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedErste Bank der Osterreichischen Sparkassen AGFoundedWienerberger AG
1819
1839
TechnologyGoodyear discovers how to vulcanize rubber.
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.
FoundedJulius Meinl International AG
1862
FoundedÖSTERREICHISCHE POST- UND TELEGRAPHENVERWALTUNG
1866
1867
TechnologyNobel patents dynamite.
1869
EconomyThe transcontinental railroad links the American coasts.
EconomyThe Suez Canal opens, reshaping global shipping.
1873
EconomyLevi Strauss patents riveted denim work pants.
EconomyThe Panic of 1873 triggers a global depression.
1876
TechnologyAlexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.
1879
TechnologyEdison demonstrates a practical incandescent lamp.
FoundedÖSTERREICHISCHE BUNDESBAHNEN GmbH
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.
1893
EconomyThe Panic of 1893 pulls down banks and overbuilt railroads.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1908
TechnologyFord's Model T puts the automobile within reach of the middle class.
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.
1925
EconomyThe Grand Ole Opry begins broadcasting from Nashville.
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.
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.
FoundedAKG Acoustics GmbH
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1955
EconomyMcDonald's franchising begins, remaking fast food.
EconomyDisneyland opens and invents the modern theme park.
1956
TechnologyThe first transatlantic telephone cable opens.
FoundedAustrian Airlines AG (Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG)
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
EconomyThe first Walmart opens, built on everyday low prices.
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.
FoundedZumtobel AG
1976
FoundedLauda Air Luftfahrt AG
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.
FoundedRed Bull GmbH
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedRHI AG
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedBBAG Osterreichische Brau-Beteiligungs-AG
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
FoundedGericom AG
1990
FoundedBank Austria AG
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.
FoundedVA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH
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.
§ 02

The companies

Erste Bank der Osterreichischen Sparkassen AG →
Active · founded 1819 · Austria
Erste Bank der Osterreichischen Sparkassen AG has broken out of the tiny Austrian banking market to become one of…
Wienerberger AG →
Active · founded 1819 · Austria
Wienerberger AG is the world's leading manufacturer of bricks, including hollow bricks and facing bricks.
Julius Meinl International AG →
Active · founded 1862 · Austria
With a history spanning nearly 150 years, Julius Meinl International AG has pulled an about-face for the new century.
ÖSTERREICHISCHE POST- UND TELEGRAPHENVERWALTUNG →
Active · founded 1866 · Austria
The title of the Austrian Postal and Telegraph Department, Österreichische Post- und Telegraphenverwaltung (PTV),…
ÖSTERREICHISCHE BUNDESBAHNEN GmbH →
Active · founded 1882 · Austria
Österreichische Bundesbahnen, the company that maintains and runs the Austrian railway network, is a state-owned…
AKG Acoustics GmbH →
Active · founded 1947 · Austria
For more than five decades AKG Acoustics GmbH has enjoyed a reputation among professional recording engineers, sound…
Austrian Airlines AG (Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG) →
Active · founded 1957 · Austria
Austrian Airlines AG (Österreichische Luftverkehrs AG) has traditionally been known as 'little brother' to its German…
Zumtobel AG →
Active · founded 1976 · Austria
Zumtobel AG has emerged as Europe's leading supplier of commercial, industrial and public sector lighting fixtures and…
Lauda Air Luftfahrt AG →
Defunct · founded 1979 · Austria
Lauda Air Luftfahrt AG is a unit of Austrian Airlines Group specializing in charters and Far East travel.
Red Bull GmbH →
Active · founded 1984 · Austria
Red Bull made its first forays into the southern hemisphere, via South Africa and Brazil, in 2001.
RHI AG →
Active · founded 1987 · Austria
RHI AG is the world's top manufacturer of heat-resistant refractory products, with a global market share of some 15…
BBAG Osterreichische Brau-Beteiligungs-AG →
Active · founded 1988 · Austria
Linz, Austria's BBAG Österreichische Brau-Beteiligungs AG has been slaking its thirst for growth through a series of…
Gericom AG →
Active · founded 1990 · Austria
Fast-rising Gericom AG aims to become Europe's leading manufacturer and distributor of mobile computing and…
Bank Austria AG →
Active · founded 1991 · Austria
With over one-fifth of the nation's banking business, Bank Austria AG is Austria's largest and most profitable banking…
VA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH →
Active · founded 1997 · Austria
VA TECH ELIN EBG GmbH (VTEE) is the infrastructure and industrial services arm of Austria's VA Technologie AG.
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