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Great American Business Leaders of the 20th Century

 
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Filter Results: (40) Arrow Down
Filter Results: (40) Arrow Down Arrow Up
40 Results
Terrence E. Adderley
Kelly Services, 1967–Present
C. Michael Armstrong
American Telephone and Telegraph, 1997–2002
Sewell L. Avery
Montgomery, Ward and Company, 1936–1955
Don H. Barden
Barden Communications, 1981–Present
Hans W. Becherer
Deere & Company, 1989–2000
William E. Boeing
Boeing Company, 1916–1934
Leo Burnett
Leo Burnett Company, 1935–1971
Roy D. Chapin
Hudson Motor Company, 1909–1923
Harlow H. Curtice
General Motors Corporation, 1953–1958
Max De Pree
Herman Miller, 1980–1987
Richard M. DeVos
Amway Corporation, 1959–1992
Robert E. Dewar
K-Mart Corporation, 1972–1979
Frederic G. Donner
General Motors Corporation, 1958–1967
Willard H. Dow
Dow Chemical Corporation, 1930–1947
Henry Ford
Ford Motor Company, 1906–1918
Henry Ford II
Ford Motor Company, 1945–1979
William W. George
Medtronic, 1991–2000
Daniel F. Gerber
Gerber Products Company, 1917–1945
Daniel F. Gerber, Jr.
Gerber Products Company, 1945–1974
Berry Gordy, Jr.
Motown Records Corporation, 1959–1986
C. Michael Harper
ConAgra, 1975–1993
Harold V. Haverty
Deluxe Corporation, 1986–1995
Ray W. Herrick
Tecumseh Products, 1930–1972
William R. Hewlett
Hewlett-Packard Company, 1969–1978
George M. Humphrey
Hanna (M. A.) & Company, 1929–1952
Michael Ilitch
Little Caesar's Enterprises, 1959–Present
Henry B. Joy
Packard Motor Car Company, 1905–1916
Will K. Kellogg
Kellogg Company, 1906–1939
Louis K. Liggett
United Drug Company, 1904–1943
Daniel K. Ludwig
National Bulk Carriers, 1936–1987
Thomas S. Monaghan
Domino's Pizza, 1960–1998
Joy Morton
Morton Salt Company, 1885–1934
Guy S. Peppiatt
Federal Mogul Corporation, 1950–1969
John D. Ryan
Anaconda Copper Company, 1907–1917
Clarence H. Shaver
United States Gypsum, 1951–1966
William Steere, Jr.
Pfizer, 1991–2000
E. Gifford Upjohn
Upjohn Company, 1953–1961
Jay Van Andel
Amway Corporation, 1959–1992
Clarence M. Woolley
American Radiator Company, 1902–1924
Vincent C. Ziegler
Gillette Company, 1965–1973
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THE 20th CENTURY ZEITGEIST

Six contextual factors deeply influenced the opportunities available to 20th century business leaders:

  • Demographics
  • Technology
  • Social Mores
  • Government
  • Labor
  • Global

the 20th Century Zeitgeist

Demographics
  • Demographics
  • Technology
  • Social Mores
  • Government Intervention
  • Labor
  • Global Events
Influence: High
190019

8.8 million immigrants arrive throughout decade

Cities expand

Population grows from 76 to 92 million

Rural Free Delivery routes added

Influence: Medium
10191019

Anti-immigration sentiment peaks during WWI

Great Migration begins as African-Americans relocate from rural South to northern cities

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

Population of urban centers overtakes that of rural communities

Tight immigration restrictions

Increase in divorce rates

Influence: Medium-Low
30193019

Westward migration of midwestern farmers and laborers for employment and better climate

Massive dust storms uproot millions

Smallest ten-year increase in population: 123-132 million

Influence: Medium-High
40194019

Baby boom begins

Suburbs start to form

Influence: High
50195019

Medical advances extend life expectancy

More people now live in suburbs than cities

Population soars to 179 million

largest ten-year increase

Influence: High
60196019

Baby boom tapers off

Emigration from Asia and Latin America surges

Influence: Medium-High
70197019

Urban blight

Rust Belt

Influence: Medium-High
80198019

Population migrates to West and Southwest

Influence: High
901990

Immigration tops 9 million (largest number since first decade)

Baby boomers age

Hispanics become fastest-growing minority

Population grows from 250 million to 281 million

Influence: Medium-High
190019

Model T

Plastic

Safety razor

Widespread use of steam engine, electricity, and openhearth furnace allows businesses to expand nationwide

Influence: Medium
10191019

First widespread use of auto assembly line

Self-starter increases popularity of automobile

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

KDKA, first radio station

First talking movie,

Influence: Medium
30193019

Advances in aviation

Nylon

Fiberglass

Instant photography

Air-conditioning begins to realize commercial potential

Influence: High
40194019

Planes and ships built in less than a day for the war effort

Atomic bomb

ENIAC computer

Penicillin used extensively to treat soldiers' infections

Synthetic rubberx

Influence: High
50195019

Television sales expand dramatically

Transistors used in portable radios and calculators

Influence: Medium-High
60196019

Man walks on the moon

Color TV market grows

Microchips expand possibilities in electronics industry

Integrated circuit boards replace transistor technology

First ATM installed

Influence: Medium
70197019

Beginning of biotech industry

Fiber-optic wire

Pong (first video game)

UPC bar code

Supercomputer

Influence: Medium-Low
80198019

Software industry booms

PC use expands in scale and scope

CAD/CAM revolutionizes manufacturing

Space shuttle

Influence: Medium-High
901990

Boom in connectivity

Cloning, stem cell research

DVDs

Influence: Medium
190019

Progressivism

The Jungle sparks food and work safety movement

Influence: Low
10191019

Sedition Act

Prohibition begins

Red Scare

Race riots

Influence: Medium-High
20192019

Social divisions arise between rural and urban areas

Women's suffrage

Harlem Renaissance

Rampant bootlegging and organized crime

Influence: Medium
30193019

Escapism in radio serials

Prohibition repealed

Golden age of movies

Influence: Medium-Low
40194019

Patriotism soars

GI Bill

Influence: Medium-Low
50195019

Social conformity

McCarthyism

Membership in organized religion soars

Brown v. Board of Education desegregated public schools>

Influence: Medium-High
60196019

Civil rights movement gain strength

Antiwar sentiment divides electorate

FDA approves oral contraceptive pill

Influence: High
70197019

National Organization for Women mobilizes for Equal Rights Amendment

Roe v. Wade legalizes abortion

Social discord continues over Vietnam War and civil rights

Watergate scandal undermines faith in authority

Influence: Medium-Low
80198019

Moral Majority

"Me" generation

Focus on training and fitness

Income gap widens dramatically

AIDS

Influence: High