Continental Tire North America Inc. announced in a Tuesday press release that the company will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of its General Tire brand in 2005.

The brand was born on Sept. 29, 1915, when two Akron, Ohio businessmen, William F. O’Neil and Winfred E. Fouse, founded the General Tire and Rubber Co.
With more than 300 companies making tires at the time, O’Neil and Fouse decided to first produce a premium replacement tire, along with a line of pneumatic truck tires. During the next decades, General Tire invented the low-pressure General Balloon Jumbos followed by carbon black latex, oil-extended rubber, Gen-tech adhesive for tire cord and other innovations. The company grew rapidly along with the auto industry.
In 1987, Continental AG,­ a leading tire manufacturer based in Hannover, Germany, purchased the company’s tire division, General Tire Inc., to become the fourth largest tire manufacturer in the world. The company was later reformed as Continental Tire North America Inc.
“We are very proud of the General Tire brand,” said Martien de Louw, president and CEO, CTNA. “The products the Continental Corp. offers today continue to meet the demanding and complex needs of our customers in both the original equipment and replacement sectors.”
For more information, visit www.continentaltire.com.