COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 2741

Miscellaneous Publishing

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

50companies1835–1996founding years48still active2no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedBertelsmann AG
1835
FoundedR. L. Polk & Co.
1870
FoundedWaverly, Inc.
1892
FoundedWorld Color Press Inc.
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedCCH Inc.FoundedZiff Communications Company
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Mead Corporation
1930
FoundedConsumers Union
1936
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedVolt Information Sciences Inc.
1957
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedVNU N.V.
1964
FoundedMultimedia, Inc.
1968
FoundedEdmark Corporation
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
FoundedAmerican Business Information, Inc.
1972
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedDay Runner, Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedFranklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedAxel Springer Verlag AG
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedSkyMall, Inc.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
FoundedU S West, Inc.
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.
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

Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
Bertelsmann AG →
Active · founded 1835 · Germany
Bertelsmann AG is the largest media group in Germany and Europe, and the second-largest in the world to the U.S.-based…
R. L. Polk & Co. →
Active · founded 1870
R.
R. L. Polk & Co. →
Active · founded 1870
R.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
Waverly, Inc. →
Active · founded 1892
Waverly, Inc.
Butterick Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
Butterick Co., Inc.
Butterick Co., Inc. →
Active · founded 1902
Butterick Co., Inc.
World Color Press Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
World Color Press Inc.
World Color Press Inc. →
Active · founded 1903
World Color Press Inc.
CCH Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Best known as the publisher of the Standard Federal Tax Reporter, CCH Inc., publishes a wide array of topical law…
CCH Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Best known as the publisher of the Standard Federal Tax Reporter, CCH Inc., publishes a wide array of topical law…
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
Ziff Communications Company →
Active · founded 1927
Ziff Communications Company was a major force in American magazine publishing for more than 65 years.
The Seagram Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
The Seagram Company Ltd., which is 32-percent owned by the Bronfman family, is a major international liquor giant…
The Seagram Company Ltd. →
Active · founded 1928 · Canada
The Seagram Company Ltd., which is 32-percent owned by the Bronfman family, is a major international liquor giant…
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
The Mead Corporation →
Active · founded 1930
The Mead Corporation is one of the world's largest manufacturers of paper (producing more than 1.7 million tons each…
Consumers Union →
Active · founded 1936
Consumers Union is the nonprofit organization that publishes the monthly magazine Consumer Reports, dedicated to…
Consumers Union →
Active · founded 1936
Consumers Union is the nonprofit organization that publishes the monthly magazine Consumer Reports, dedicated to…
Gray Communications Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Established in 1946 by James H.
Gray Communications Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Established in 1946 by James H.
Volt Information Sciences Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Volt Information Sciences Inc.
Volt Information Sciences Inc. →
Active · founded 1957
Volt Information Sciences Inc.
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
VNU N.V. →
Active · founded 1964 · The Netherlands
The Netherlands' publishing group VNU N.V.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Multimedia, Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
One of the most profitable media communications companies in the United States, Multimedia, Inc.
Essence Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Essence Communications, Inc.
Essence Communications, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Essence Communications, Inc.
Edmark Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Edmark Corporation is a developer and publisher of educational software and educational print materials for the…
Edmark Corporation →
Active · founded 1970
Edmark Corporation is a developer and publisher of educational software and educational print materials for the…
American Business Information, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
American Business Information, Inc.
American Business Information, Inc. →
Active · founded 1972
American Business Information, Inc.
Information Access Company →
Active · founded 1977
Information Access Company (IAC) is among the worldwide leaders in providing periodical indexes and the articles…
Information Access Company →
Active · founded 1977
Information Access Company (IAC) is among the worldwide leaders in providing periodical indexes and the articles…
Day Runner, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Day Runner, Inc., is America's leading developer and manufacturer of paper-based personal organizers.
Day Runner, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Day Runner, Inc., is America's leading developer and manufacturer of paper-based personal organizers.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc. →
Active · founded 1983
Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Axel Springer Verlag AG →
Active · founded 1985 · Germany
Over the course of its more than 50 years in business, Axel Springer Verlag AG has evolved from a publisher of local…
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
Primedia Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
Primedia Inc.
SkyMall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
SkyMall, Inc.
SkyMall, Inc. →
Active · founded 1989
SkyMall, Inc.
U S West, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
The "new" U S West, Inc.
U S West, Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
The "new" U S West, Inc.
EMI Group plc →
Defunct · founded 1996 · United Kingdom
EMI Group plc is the fourth largest of the world's "big six" music giants.
EMI Group plc →
Defunct · founded 1996 · United Kingdom
EMI Group plc is the fourth largest of the world's "big six" music giants.
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