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Siemens AG (FWB: SIE, NYSE: SI) is the world's largest electronics company. Its international headquarters are in Berlin and Munich, Germany. Siemens AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and also on the New York Stock Exchange since March 12, 2001. more...

Worldwide, Siemens and its subsidiaries employ 461,000 people (2005) in 190 countries and reported global sales of €85 billion in fiscal year 2005.

History

• Siemens Official History Web Site

It was founded by Werner von Siemens on October 1, 1847, based on the telegraph he had invented that used a needle to point to the sequence of letters, instead of using the Morse code. The company – then called Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske – took occupation of its workshop on October 12.

In 1848, the company built the first long-distance telegraph line in Europe, spanning 500 km from Berlin to Frankfurt am Main. In 1850 the founder's younger brother, Sir William Siemens (born Carl Wilhelm Siemens), started to represent the company in London. In the 1850s, the company was involved in building long distance telegraph networks in Russia. In 1855, a company branch opened in St Petersburg, headed by another brother, Carl von Siemens.

In 1881, a Siemens AC Alternator, driven by a watermill, was used to power the world's first electric street lighting in the town of Godalming, United Kingdom. The company continued to grow and diversified into electric trains and light bulbs. In 1890, the founder retired and left the company to his brother Carl and sons Arnold and Wilhelm. Siemens & Halske (S&H) was incorporated in 1897.

In 1919, S&H and two other companies jointly formed the Osram lightbulb company. A Japanese subsidiary was established in 1923.

World War II

During the 1920s and 1930s, S&H started to manufacture radios, television sets, and electron microscopes. Before World War II Siemens was involved in the secret rearmament of Germany.

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