J. L. Hudson opens his first department store in Detroit, Michigan.
David H. McConnell starts the California Perfume Company (later Avon) in New York.
David B. Buick founds the Buick Motor Company.
The Warner brothers show their first film at their home in Youngstown, Ohio.
George Draper Dayton takes control of a Minneapolis dry-goods store and renames it Dayton's.
General Motors Corporation is formed, incorporating the Buick Motor Company and the Olds Motor Vehicle Company.
Earl Tupper meets Brownie Wise, a sales representative for Stanley Home Products, who launches the concept of the Tupperware party.
Bell Labs scientists invent the laser.
The first Kmart store opens in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan.
The Instamatic, Kodak's most popular camera ever, appears in stores.
The Coca-Cola Company introduces TAB diet cola.
Children's Television Workshop broadcasts the first episode of Sesame Street.
The J. L. Hudson Company and the Dayton Company merge to form the Dayton Hudson Corporation.
Former model and stockbroker Martha Stewart starts a catering business in her Westport, Connecticut, home.
Lee Iacocca becomes the head Chrysler.
Toys R Us revives the employee stock option as an employee benefit.
AT&T is divided up into seven regional phone companies.
Michael Dell officially forms Dell Computer Corporation; Dell becomes one of the first companies to make clones of IBM personal computers.
The Ben & Jerry's Foundation is established, funded by 7.5 percent of the company's annual profits before taxes, to give to community-oriented nonprofit groups.
A.M. Chicago becomes The Oprah Winfrey Show; the following year Winfrey forms Harpo Productions, Inc.
Nike signs basketball great Michael Jordan to promote its shoes.
General Electric launches www.ge.com , becoming the first Fortune 500 company to go online.
Mosaic Communications Corporation is founded by Marc Andreessen and James Clark; named changes to Netscape Communications Corporation.
Netscape offers its stock to the public on the stock market.
Time Warner buys Turner Broadcasting System.
Microsoft and General Electric (owner of NBC) launch computer/television network MSNBC.
Martha Stewart buys her magazine Martha Stewart Living from Time Wamer and launches Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc.
Chrysler merges with Daimler-Benz to become Daimler-Chrysler AG.
The British-Dutch conglomerate Unilever buys Ben & Jerry's for $236 million and vows it will maintain the Vermont company's social and environmental commitments.
Children's Television Workshop changes its name to Sesame Workshop.
America Online purchases Time Warner, forming AOL Time Warner.
The purchase of Compaq Computer Corporation makes Hewlett-Packard the second-largest computer manufacturer in the world.
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