Westinghouse Electric Corporation facts for kids
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Formerly
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| Public (1916–1997) | |
| Traded as | NYSE: WX (1916–1997) |
| Fate | Renamed "CBS Corporation" in 1997, then merged with Viacom in 2000 |
| Successor | |
| Founded | August 8, 1886 |
| Founder | George Westinghouse |
| Defunct | April 26, 2000 |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American company that made many different products. It was started in 1886 by George Westinghouse. The company was first called "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company." In 1945, its name changed to "Westinghouse Electric Corporation."
Later, in 1995, Westinghouse bought the CBS television network. The company then changed its name to "CBS Corporation" in 1997. In 1999, it joined with another company called Viacom. This merger was completed in April 2000. The name "CBS Corporation" was used again later for one of the companies that came from a split of Viacom in 2005.
Today, the Westinghouse brand names are owned by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The part of the company that dealt with nuclear power became a separate company in 1999. It is now known as Westinghouse Electric Company.
Contents
The Story of Westinghouse
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| 1912 | Famous Players Film Company is founded by Adolph Zukor |
|---|---|
| 1913 | Lasky Feature Play Company is founded by Jesse Lasky |
| 1914 | Paramount Pictures is founded as a film distributor by W. W. Hodkinson |
| 1916 | Famous Players & Lasky merge as Famous Players–Lasky and acquire Paramount. |
| 1920 | Group W forms with the launch of KDKA-AM |
| 1927 | CBS is founded; Famous Players–Lasky assumes Paramount name |
| 1929 | Paramount buys 49% of CBS |
| 1932 | Paramount sells back shares of CBS. |
| 1950 | Desilu is founded & CBS distributes its television programs |
| 1952 | CBS creates the CBS Television Film Sales division |
| 1958 | CBS Television Film Sales renamed to CBS Films |
| 1966 | Gulf+Western buys Paramount |
| 1968 | Gulf+Western acquires Desilu and renames it Paramount Television; CBS Films becomes CBS Enterprises |
| 1970 | CBS Enterprises renamed to Viacom |
| 1971 | Viacom is spun off from CBS as a separate company |
| 1985 | Viacom buys full ownership of Showtime & MTV Networks |
| 1986 | National Amusements buys Viacom |
| 1989 | Gulf+Western renamed to Paramount Communications |
| 1994 | Viacom acquires Paramount Communications |
| 1995 | Westinghouse buys CBS |
| 1997 | Westinghouse renamed to CBS Corporation |
| 2000 | Viacom buys CBS Corporation |
| 2001 | Viacom buys BET Networks |
| 2005 | Viacom splits into second CBS Corporation and Viacom |
| 2019 | CBS Corporation and Viacom re-merge to form ViacomCBS |
| 2022 | ViacomCBS changes its name to Paramount Global |
Westinghouse Electric was founded by George Westinghouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on January 8, 1886. The company quickly started to build electric power systems across the United States. Its biggest factories were in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Lester, Pennsylvania, and Hamilton, Ontario. Here, they made turbines, generators, motors, and other equipment for creating and using electricity.
Many important engineers worked for Westinghouse. These included Frank Conrad, Benjamin Garver Lamme, and Bertha Lamme Feicht, who was the first woman mechanical engineer in the U.S. Nikola Tesla also worked there for a short time.
In its early days, Westinghouse was a competitor to Thomas Edison's electric company. In 1892, Edison's company joined with another rival, the Thomson-Houston Electric Company. This created an even bigger competitor called General Electric. Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company changed its name to Westinghouse Electric Corporation in 1945.
Westinghouse and CBS
In the 1990s, Westinghouse faced some financial problems. To fix this, the company brought in a new leader, Michael H. Jordan. He decided to focus on the broadcasting industry.
Westinghouse sold off many of its older industrial businesses. It then bought more broadcasting companies. These included Infinity Broadcasting, TNN, CMT, and American Radio Systems. These new investments cost a lot of money.
In 1995, Westinghouse bought CBS Inc. for $5.4 billion. In 1997, Westinghouse Electric Corporation changed its name to "CBS Corporation." Also in 1997, the part of the company that made power generators was sold to Siemens AG in Germany. A year later, CBS sold its nuclear power businesses to British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL). This new BNFL company was allowed to use the Westinghouse name. It was later sold to Toshiba in 2006.
Inventions and Achievements
Over the years, Westinghouse engineers and scientists received more than 28,000 U.S. patents. This was the third-highest number for any company.
Power and Electricity
- Power Generation: The company was a leader in creating electricity. It also pioneered ways to send power over long distances using high-voltage alternating current. They first showed this technology for lighting in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
- Steam Turbine Generators: The first commercial Westinghouse steam turbine-driven generator started working in 1901. It was at the Hartford Electric Light Co. This machine, called Mary-Ann, was the first of its kind in the U.S. George Westinghouse based his design on ideas from the English inventor Charles Parsons. Today, many steam turbine generators around the world were made by Westinghouse or under its license.
- Electrical Technology: Westinghouse expanded into many areas of electrical technology. It bought the Copeman Electric Stove Company in 1914. It also started radio broadcasting with KDKA in Pittsburgh in 1920, which was the first commercial radio station. Westinghouse also entered the elevator business in 1928. It sold its elevator business to Schindler Group in 1989.
Aviation and Gas Turbines
- Aviation: Westinghouse made the first working American turbojet engine for the U.S. Navy in 1943. However, a later project, the J40, failed. This led Westinghouse to leave the aircraft engine business in 1960.
- Gas Turbines: In the late 1940s, Westinghouse used its aviation experience to develop its first industrial gas turbine. This led the company into the business of making gas turbines for industries and power plants. This part of the business was sold to Siemens AG in 1997.
Nuclear Power and Motors
- Nuclear Power: Westinghouse helped develop nuclear energy for military uses. It then used this knowledge to create nuclear energy systems for making electricity. This business now operates as the Westinghouse Electric Company.
- Industrial Motors: Westinghouse also made many other industrial products. These included electric motors of all sizes, elevators, escalators, and lighting. The Large Motor Division later joined with Taiwan Electric Co. and is now called TECO-Westinghouse.
Transportation and Consumer Products
- Rail Transit: The Westinghouse Transportation Division supplied equipment for many trains and streetcars. This included parts for the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit and the New York City Subway. They also built automated people movers (APMs) at major U.S. airports. This division was sold to AEG in 1988.
- Consumer Electrics: Westinghouse was one of the first companies to make household electrical products. These included radios, televisions, hair dryers, irons, washing machines, refrigerators, and air conditioners. Westinghouse stopped making appliances in the mid-1970s. The appliance unit was bought by White Consolidated Industries and became White-Westinghouse.
- World's Fair Contributions: The company is also known for its time capsule contributions at the 1939 New York World's Fair and 1964 New York World's Fair. They also had exhibits at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 and at Walt Disney World's EPCOT.
Environmental Concerns
Westinghouse was involved in some environmental incidents in the U.S. These were mostly about chemical pollution.
- Sharon Plant: The Westinghouse Sharon Plant made transformers. The EPA found that the Shenango River was polluted because of Westinghouse's work there. People are advised not to eat fish from that area.
- Adams County Plant: Westinghouse was fined in 1996 for polluting groundwater near its elevator plant in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Chemicals were released into the ground.
- Horseheads Site: Westinghouse operated a plant that made cathode-ray tubes. This plant was found responsible for polluting soil and water in Horseheads, New York. Cleanup efforts have been planned for the contaminated areas.
- Sunnyvale Plant: Westinghouse also had a plant in Sunnyvale, California, that made electronics for military systems. The soil and groundwater near this plant are polluted with chemicals. This could be a health risk for people living nearby.
Timeline of Company History
The 1880s
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- 1884 – George Westinghouse starts working on an electric lighting system.
- 1885 – Westinghouse learns about new transformer-based alternating current systems.
- 1885 – William Stanley, Jr., working for Westinghouse, creates the first useful AC transformer.
- 1886 – Westinghouse Electric Company is founded in East Pittsburgh.
- 1886 – William Stanley, Jr. sets up the world's first working transformer-based power system in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
- 1888 – An ampere-hour meter for alternating current is developed.
- 1888 – Westinghouse gets licenses for Nikola Tesla's AC and Induction motor patents.
- 1889 – The company changes its name to Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company.
The 1890s
- 1891 – Built the world's first industrial AC system (Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant).
- 1893 – Supplied electric lights and power for the World's Columbian Exposition.
- 1893 – Hired Bertha Lamme Feicht, the company's first female engineer.
- 1894 – The Transportation Division (for rail equipment) is founded.
- 1895 – Installed hydropower AC generators at Adams Power Plant, Niagara Falls.
- 1899 – Founded British Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company.
The 1900s to 1920s
- 1901 – Acquires Bryant Electric Company.
- 1901 – First Westinghouse steam turbine generator starts working at Hartford Electric Light Co..
- 1909 – Introduces the continuous-filament tungsten light bulb.
- 1914 – Acquires Copeman Electric Stove Company and enters the home appliance market.
- 1914 – George Westinghouse dies.
- 1915 – New England Westinghouse Company opens.
- 1917 – Builds a steam turbine manufacturing plant in Lester, PA.
- 1919 – Creates RCA with GE, AT&T, and United Fruit.
- 1920s – Enters the broadcasting industry with stations like KDKA and WBZ.
- 1926 – In partnership with GE and RCA, founds NBC Broadcasting.
The 1930s and 1940s
- 1934 – Opens its Home of Tomorrow to show Westinghouse home appliances.
- 1940s – Enters aviation with radar, jet engine propulsion, and airport lighting.
- 1945 – Renames itself the Westinghouse Electric Corporation and makes its first automatic elevator.
- 1948 – Uses the slogan "You Can Be Sure... If It's Westinghouse" in ads.
The 1950s to 1970s
- 1951 – Conducts the first live network TV broadcast in the U.S.
- 1954 – Enters finance as Westinghouse Credit Corporation.
- 1955 – Buys KDKA-TV and KYW radio.
- 1955 – The Westinghouse J40 engine failure causes Westinghouse to leave the aircraft engine business.
- 1961 – Acquires Thermo King.
- 1964 – Begins the Skybus project, starting automated mass transit.
- 1965 – Invents the first MEMS device.
- 1974 – Sells its home appliance division to White Consolidated Industries, which becomes White-Westinghouse.
The 1980s
- 1981 – Acquires cable television operator TelePrompter.
- 1982 – Sells its street light division to Cooper Lighting.
- 1983 – Sells its electric lamp division to Philips.
- 1988 – Sells its elevator/escalator division to Schindler Group.
- 1988 – Closes the East Pittsburgh generator and Lester, PA turbine plants.
- 1989 – Sells its transmission and distribution business to ASEA Brown Boveri Group (ABB).
The 1990s to 2020s
- 1995 – Under the leadership of Michael H. Jordan, buys CBS for $5.4 billion.
- 1996 – Sells Westinghouse Electronic Systems defense business to Northrop Grumman.
- 1997 – Sells Thermo King division to Ingersoll Rand.
- 1997 – Sells most non-broadcast operations; renames itself CBS Corporation.
- 1997 – Sells its non-nuclear power generation and energy units to Siemens AG.
- 1998 – CBS Corporation creates Westinghouse Licensing Corporation to manage the Westinghouse brand.
- 1999 – Sells its nuclear energy business to BNFL.
- 2000 – CBS is acquired by Viacom.
- 2005 – Viacom splits into two companies, and the old Viacom is renamed CBS Corporation, bringing back Westinghouse's last name.
- 2019 – Viacom and CBS Corporation merge again to form Paramount Global.
- 2021 – Westinghouse Electric Corporation acquires the Westinghouse Trademark from ViacomCBS.
Important People
CEOs
- George Westinghouse, 1886 – 1909
- Edwin Herr, 1911 – 1929
- Frank Anderson Merrick, 1929 – 1938
- George Bucher, 1938 – 1946
- Gwilym Price, 1946 – 1957
- Mark Cresap, Jr. 1957 – 1963
- Don Burnham, 1963 – 1975
- Robert Kirby, 1975 – 1983
- Douglas Danforth, 1983 – 1987
- John Marous, 1988 – 1990
- Paul Lego, 1990 – 1993
- Gary Clark, 1993
- Michael Jordan, 1993 – 1997
International Companies
Westinghouse started companies in other countries, like British Westinghouse and Società Italiana Westinghouse in Italy. British Westinghouse later became part of Metropolitan-Vickers in 1919.
Images for kids
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Westinghouse Electric Corporation logo
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George Westinghouse, founder
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1888 Westinghouse brochure advertising their Alternating system
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Share of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, issued March 31, 1910
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1924 book on protective relays for AC and DC electrical systems by the company
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Logo designed by Paul Rand in 1959
See also
In Spanish: Westinghouse Electric para niños
- List of Westinghouse locomotives
- Siemens Westinghouse, also known as Siemens Power Generation, Inc.
- War of the currents
- Westinghouse Electric Company
- Westinghouse Works, 1904
- Westinghouse Broadcasting, also known as Group W
- Westinghouse Lamp Plant
- Westinghouse Combustion Turbine Systems Division
- Westinghouse Aviation Gas Turbine Division
- White-Westinghouse
- Paramount Global
- Westinghouse Licensing Corporation
- Schindler Elevator Corporation
