1876-1950
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1876 | Thomas Edison opens a new laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, USA |
| 1879 | Thomson-Houston formed |
| 1890 | Edison General Electric formed |
| 1892 | Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston merge to become The General Electric Company |
| 1892 | Charles A. Coffin becomes the first President of General Electric |
| 1896 | General Electric made a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average |
| 1905 | The Electric Bond and Share Co., the forerunner of GE Commercial Finance is formed, with the goal of providing financing to small utility companies |
| 1911 | National Electric Lamp Company (NELA) is absorbed into General Electric's existing lighting business and GE establishes its lighting division headquarters at Nela Park, the world's first industrial park, in East Cleveland, Ohio |
| 1912 | General Electric begins using phenolic resins to mold plastic parts |
| 1913 | Charles A. Coffin becomes the first Chairman of General Electric |
| 1913 | Edwin Rice becomes President, replacing Charles A. Coffin |
| 1918 | Trumbull Electric Company, headquartered in Plainville, CT, is acquired. Trumbull Electric Manufactory Co. produced electrical supply parts including porcelain fixtures, switchboards and panels. |
| 1919 | Radio Corporation of America (RCA) formed by General Electric and American Telephone & Telegraph |
| 1922 | Owen Young becomes Chairman, replacing Charles A. Coffin |
| 1930 | General Electric creates its Plastics Department to research and produce advanced plastics |
| 1932 | GE Credit Corporation, which evolves into GE Consumer Finance, is founded to allow families to purchase General Electric appliances on credit |
| 1935 | General Electric markets the first electric garbage disposal, the Disposall |
| 1940 | Philip D. Reed replaces Owen Young as Chairman |
| 1942 | Owen Young returns as Chairman, replacing Philip D. Reed |
| 1942 | General Electric develops the first American jet engine |
| 1945 | Philip D. Reed becomes Chairman, replacing Owen Young |
| 1949 | GE Armament Division test-fires the M61 Vulcan rotary cannon |
Read more about this topic: General Electric Timeline