Bridgestone/Firestone traces its roots back to 1900 and the founding of the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company by an enterprising young American, Harvey S. Firestone.

On the other side of the globe, another enterprising man, Shojiro Ishibashi, established the Bridgestone Tire Corporation in Japan in 1931. Mr. Ishbashi took the direct English translation of his family name -"Stone-bridge" and reversed it to create "Bridgestone. This name sounded like Firestone, a company he greatly admired.

1900: Harvey S. Firestone established The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

1906: Firestone tires were chosen by Henry Ford for the first mass-produced automobiles in America.

1911: Firestone began what would become a legendary history in car racing by entering and winning the first Indy 500

1919: The Firestone Tire and Rubber Company of Canada was incorporated in Hamilton, Ontario

1922: The first Canadian-made tire rolled off the line on September 15

1931: The Bridgestone Tire Co. Ltd. is founded

1932: Firestone introduces the low pressure tractor tire

1949: Jim Roper pilots his Lincoln to victory in the first NASCAR Winston Cup race on Firestone tires

1953: Bridgestone becomes Japan's largest tire maker

1957: Firestone develops a high-speed race tire to withstand speeds of 190 miles per hour for the first running of the International 500-mile race at Monza, Italy

1964: Bridgestone and Firestone offer radial tires in their respective Japanese and American markets

1966: Firestone's Joliette, Quebec tire plant begins production

1967: Bridgestone enters the U.S. market through a sales subsidiary in California

1968: Graham hill becomes the first driver to win the FIA Formula 1 championship on Firestone tires

1972: Bridgestone begins doing business in Canada, opening a sales and warehouse operation in Burnaby, British Columbia

1979: Bridgestone develops technology for converting scrap tires into supplemental fuel for cement kilns

1979: Firestone pioneers the concept of the "temporary spare" tire

1983: Bridgestone established its first U.S. production base by purchasing a Firestone truck tire plant in LaVergne, Tennessee

1988: The Bridgestone Corporation acquires the Firestone Tire & Rubber Company signaling the transformation into a truly global company

1990: Bridgestone and Firestone are consolidated under a unified organization called Bridgestone/Firestone Inc

1993: The Bridgestone Blizzak winter tire is introduced

1995: Firestone, a legend at the Indy 500, returns to open-wheel racing

1997: Arie Luyendyk wins his second Indy 500. The win is Firestone's 50th at the brickyard
Bridgestone enters Formula 1 racing. Cars shod with Bridgestone Potenza tires capture four podium finishes in the company's rookie F1 season

1998: Bridgestone wins its first F1 world championship in only its second season as Mika Hakkinen captures the driver's title