Skip to main content
Harvey Firestone

1900

FIRESTONE TIRE & RUBBER COMPANY FOUNDED

On August 3rd, 1900, the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company was founded in Akron, Ohio. In the initial days, they introduced the solid rubber sidewire tires as one of the first Firestone products. On December 27th, Harvey S. Firestone Jr. was lifted into the air to pull the engine switch that put the first Firestone factory in operation

Harvey Firestone

1903

FIRESTONE BEGINS MANUFACTURING TIRES

Firestone began manufacturing its own tires for the first time in 1903, and by late summer of the next year, they’d developed the first mechanically-fastened, straight-sided pneumatic automobile tire.

Shojiro Ishibashi

1906

EARLY HISTORY OF BRIDGESTONE FOUNDER

At 17, Shojiro Ishibashi took over his family clothing business in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. While heading up that business, he specialized in tabi (Japanese traditional socks), reformed the apprentice system, implemented a standardized pricing system, and created Jika-tabi (socks with rubber soles used as work shoes), developing a rubber shoe business with overseas production. But Shojiro's s dream was to contribute to the nation of Japan above and beyond the work of his family business. He believed in the future of motorized transportation in Japan, and he was adamant about producing tires domestically.

Lifelong friends, Harvey S. Firestone, founder of The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford

1906

FIRESTONE DELIVERS 2000 SETS OF TIRES TO FORD

Firestone delivered 2,000 sets of tires to the Ford Motor Company. It was the largest single order for tires places by the auto industry to date, and would start a business partnership that would last for decades.

First Firestone Rim

1909

FIRESTONE BEGINS MANUFACTURING TIRE RIMS

Firestone Akron Ohio Plant

1910

FIRESTONE OPENS AKRON, OHIO FACTORY

In 1910, profits for The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company exceeded $1 million for the first time. By June 1910, Firestone’s new factory in Akron, Ohio opened. A few years later, Ohio became the hub of the tire industry, leading manufacturing of automobile castings and rubber inner tubes. It also had more rubber workers than any other state, with 63,637 people working at various tire companies. Firestone’s line of plants, which extended for more than a mile, was linked together by more than six miles of interplant railroad and a 70-ton locomotive. The company now had its own rail line to move raw materials and finished products.

Firestone Racing Win

1911

FIRESTONE RACING WIN

On May 30, 1911, Ray Harroun drove his Firestone-equipped Marmon Wasp to victory at the inaugural Indianapolis 500® mile race.

Howard Taft and Harvey Firestone

1920

WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT VISITS AKRON

Ex-President William Howard Taft arrived in Akron and visited with Harvey S. Firestone. It was one of the first indicators that Firestone was becoming an important figure in national affairs.

Newpaper article on Gum-dipped Balloon tires

1922

BALLOON TIRE PRODUCTION BEGINS

Factory production of the industry’s first low-pressure balloon tire began on April 5, 1922. This breakthrough was made possible by incorporating the gum-dipping process invented in early 1920, a method of insulating tire cords against internal heat. Balloon tires offered the average motorist extraordinary mileage for the time.

First Firestone Service Center

1923

FIRESTONE TIRE & SERVICE CENTER

Firestone began initiating the one-stop service store program, eventually called the Firestone Tire & Service Center.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.

alt text

1697

Bridgestone Tire Company of America Established

For Bridgestone, the 60s was an era of overseas expansion that included the establishment of Bridgestone Tire Company of America in 1967 to serve as the company's U.S. sales headquarters. On the product front, 1967 saw the sale of its first passenger-vehicle radial tire, the RD-10.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.

There are no events to show in this decade.