Ohio inventions and firsts · Company innovation · 1900-1906
Firestone supplies Ford; straight-side tire
Harvey Firestone founded the company on August 3, 1900 (first products: solid rubber tires for fire apparatus); in 1906 Henry Ford chose Firestone to supply tires for Ford cars.
At a glance
- Year
- 1900-1906
- Company
- Firestone Tire & Rubber
- Place
- Akron, Summit County ZIP 44301 · Akron · Summit County
The story
Early automakers needed a dependable tire supplier, and tire makers needed a big customer. Harvey Firestone, born in Columbiana, Ohio in 1868, had worked for the Columbus Buggy Company before starting his own tire firm.
He founded the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in Akron on August 3, 1900, with 12 employees, making solid rubber tires for fire apparatus and then pneumatic tires for carriages. In 1906 Henry Ford chose Firestone to supply the tires for Ford cars, and Firestone became the original-equipment supplier to Ford.
Firestone and Goodyear were then the largest tire suppliers in North America for over 75 years. Firestone built Firestone Park in Akron for his workers. He also became one of a group of friends who vacationed together as the Vagabonds, with Ford and Thomas Edison.
There is a darker side. Reporting by ProPublica and PBS says Firestone arranged a lease of over a million acres in Liberia for rubber plantations, under a 99-year deal. Firestone died in Miami Beach, Florida on February 7, 1938.
Timeline
- 1868-12-20: Harvey Firestone is born. (Columbiana, OH) source
- 1900-08-03: Firestone Tire and Rubber is founded in Akron with 12 employees. (Akron, OH) source
- 1906: Henry Ford picks Firestone as tire supplier for Ford cars. (Akron, OH) source
- 1938-02-07: Firestone dies in Miami Beach, Florida. (Miami Beach, FL) source
- 1950: The Harvey S. Firestone Memorial is dedicated. (Akron, OH) source
What it changed
- The firm began with 12 employees in 1900.
- Firestone and Goodyear were the largest tire suppliers in North America for over 75 years.
Why it matters
Established Firestone's scale.
Worth knowing
A claim that the contract involved the straight-side demountable rim could not be confirmed and was left out.
Further reading
Sources
Confidence. Medium: the main facts were confirmed, but some details (often an address or ZIP code) were not.
