COMPANY·HISTORIES

Federal Republic of Germany

Companies based in Federal Republic of Germany, and the events that shaped them.

11companies1864–1971founding years11still active0no longer operating
§ 01

Federal Republic of Germany companies over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedKHD KONZERN
1864
FoundedMAN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
1873
FoundedKaufhof Warenhaus AG
1879
FoundedHERTIE WAREN-UND KAUFHAUS GMBH
1882
FoundedDEUTSCHE BABCOCK AGFoundedRWE GROUP
1898
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedBayernwerk AG
1921
FoundedVEREINIGTE ELEKTRIZITÄTSWERKE WESTFALEN AG
1925
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1948
EconomyThe Deutsche Mark launches; the postwar Wirtschaftswunder begins.
FoundedHoechst A.G.
1952
FoundedSALZGITTER AG
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedBAYERISCHE VEREINSBANK A.G.
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1990
HistoryGerman reunification remakes the national economy.
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.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
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

KHD KONZERN →
Active · founded 1864 · Federal Republic of Germany
Stock Index: Frankfurt Düsseldorf Brussels Antwerp Paris Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG (KHD) and KHD Konzern (known in…
MAN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT →
Active · founded 1873 · Federal Republic of Germany
Stock Index: Munich Berlin Düsseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Bremen Hanover Stuttgart Basel Geneva Zürich MAN has taken a…
Kaufhof Warenhaus AG →
Active · founded 1879 · Federal Republic of Germany
Kaufhof Warenhaus AG, the group of retailing and service companies formerly known as Kaufhof Holding AG, was born from…
HERTIE WAREN-UND KAUFHAUS GMBH →
Active · founded 1882 · Federal Republic of Germany
Hertie Waren- und Kaufhaus GmbH (HWK) heads one of Germany's largest department store groups.
DEUTSCHE BABCOCK AG →
Active · founded 1898 · Federal Republic of Germany
Stock Index: Frankfurt Deutsche Babcock is involved in machine engineering and plant construction through its…
RWE GROUP →
Active · founded 1898 · Federal Republic of Germany
Stock Index: Berlin Bremen Düsseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanover Munich Stuttgart Zürich Basel Amsterdam Geneva RWE AG…
Bayernwerk AG →
Active · founded 1921 · Federal Republic of Germany
Bayernwerk AG is the largest electricity supplier in Bavaria and one of the largest in Germany.
VEREINIGTE ELEKTRIZITÄTSWERKE WESTFALEN AG →
Active · founded 1925 · Federal Republic of Germany
Stock Index: Basel Berlin Bremen Düsseldorf Frankfurt Geneva Hamburg Hanover Munich Stuttgart Zurich The Vereinigte…
Hoechst A.G. →
Active · founded 1952 · Federal Republic of Germany
With operations in 120 nations around the globe, Hoechst (pronounced "herckst") A.G.
SALZGITTER AG →
Active · founded 1957 · Federal Republic of Germany
In the 1930s it was known that vast deposits of iron were present around Salzgitter in the German federal state of…
BAYERISCHE VEREINSBANK A.G. →
Active · founded 1971 · Federal Republic of Germany
Assets: DM162.58 billion (US$91.67 billion) Stock Index: Berlin Bremen Hamburg Stuttgart Zurich Geneva Basel Vienna…
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