The industrial fury of the 19th and early 20th centuries gave birth to innumerable revolutionary ideas and inventions that changed the lives of tens of millions. One of the most forward-thinking visions involved creating fibers from glass - one of the world's oldest and most abundant materials.

In 1935, realizing the potential growth of the glass fiber insulation market, Corning Glass, which had briefly experimented with glass fiber manufacturing in the 1920s, approached Owens-Illinois with a proposal to join forces in the production of glass fiber.

In 1938, experimental costs prompted Corning Glass and Owens-Illinois to spin off the joint venture as a separate company. And, on Nov. 1, 1938, Owens-Corning Fiberglas® Corporation was announced. By the end of 1938, the company reported sales of $2.5 million, and had more than 600 employees.

Owens Corning became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1952. Annual sales grew to more than $2 billion by the end of the 1970's.

The Pink Panther, a much-loved cartoon character, became Owens Corning's corporate mascot on Aug. 15, 1980, to promote the sales of PINK Fiberglas® insulation.

On May 12, 1987, Owens Corning made legal history as the first company to trademark a color, in this case, PINK.

At the end of the 1980's, Owens Corning reported sales of $3 billion, and employed more than 18,000 people around the world.

In 1996, Owens-Corning Fiberglas® Corporation officially changed its name to Owens Corning to reflect the company's business growth and technology expansion.

Since that time, Owens Corning has led every major technological advance in glass fiber technology. Nearly countless subsequent innovations have seen Owens Corning grow to a position of world leadership in glass fiberization and dramatically change the way people live, work and play.