American Optical History
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American Optical History Click mouse for each slide Copyright 2008 - the Optical Heritage Museum 1826 • William Beecher arrives in Southbridge and opens a Jewelry and Watch Shop on Main St.; below photo is of Beecher trunk (Optical Heritage Museum collection) 1833 • AO’s “Birth” – Beecher and 3 apprentices make silver eyeglass frames in rooms above Jewelry Shop 1839 • Beecher moves to 2 Story building on corner of Chestnut and Main St. • Referred to as “Old Spec Shop” • Later became Hyde Tools building when AO moved to Mechanic St. 1843 • First steel Spectacles made in America were produced by machinery invented by Beecher 1848 • First gold frames made in America 1850 • Gold frames (14K-18K) sell for $7.50/pair 1853 • Frame sales nationwide total 14,919 pair 1853 • Old Spec Shop switches from Cohasse Brook power to steam power 1864 • 17 year old George Wells hired by Beecher • George & Brother, Hiram, hired by company now called R. H. Cole & Co., both are fired short time later • George W. Wells (age 17) arrives in Southbridge with $100 in his pocket 1865 • George Wells rehired by R. H. Cole Daniel Wells Schreck, Direct descendant of George W. Wells (Portrait) in Southhbridge (2004) 1869 – Feb 26th • American Optical Company formed • Gross business of $50,000 • R. H. Cole offers 22 year old G. W. Wells partnership in business 1871 • First 3 story Wooden Structure on AO Main Plant site; drawing below shows 1872 view • Cost to build = $35,000 • 20,700 square feet 1872 • G. W. Wells becomes General Supervisor of new plant 1874 • AO introduces first Rimless Spectacles 1883 • AO plans to make its own spectacle lenses in Southbridge 1884 • First AO spherical lenses made • Production started when Import tarriffs were imposed. • Fireworks celebration in Southbridge on November 15, 1884. 1880s 1886 • AO sells 1,304,280 pairs of Spectacles • George Wells invention for drawing eyewire for spectacle frames 1888 AO Workers 1891 • George W. Wells becomes President of AO 1892 Map of AO Southbridge MA complex 1893 • AO adopts Dioptric system of lens power which is now in use throughout the world • AO begins to manufacture Toric lenses • Torics used to correct for Astigmatism AO Main Plant ~1899 before clock tower 1898 • U.S. Bureau of Standard accepts AO’s system of lens power 1901 AO Main Plant Clock Tower 1905 • AO London office opens • Begins its International operations 1907 • AO begins making Automobile goggles • AO had 2000 employees with a payroll of $1,000,000 1909 • J.Cheney Wells founds the AO Research laboratory 1910 • New “Lensdale Building” built • Made entirely of Cement • Site of Lens Manufacturing until 2005 • AO Kryptok Bifocals first Manufactured 1910 -AO Power Plant Built 1913 • Crookes glass • Later called Calobar (UV and IR Protection) 1916 • Dr. Edgar Tillyer hired by AO, Dr. Estelle Glancy 1 year later 1916 - AO Truepower Standards Calibrated at Bureau of Standards 1917 • Dr. Tillyer files first Patent • Use of common curves for selected powers • Allowed practical manufacturing of mass produced lenses • Cole’s sell final 127 shares of company stock to Wells family for $1.25 Million 1917 • AO Designs WWI mobile optical units • Self contained eyeglass facilities for the War • 2,500,000 lenses furnished to Government for War effort Early AO Logo- AOC 1919 1919-1921 • First AO LENSOMETER introduced in 1921, revolutionizing the industry • Measures spectacles lens power 1923 • AO Establishes 114 National Branches • Industrial Eye Protection Department established • Wise Owl Eye Safety Program established 1924 • Dr. Estelle Glancy • Progressive Lens Patent #1,518,405 1925 • AO acquires De Zeng Instrument of America • Expand to Ear, Nose and Throat products 1925 Safety Glasses Ad 1925 • Tillyer Lens introduced, revolutionizes spectacle lens industry “Americanization class” at AO 1926 • Tillyer patents ophthalmic lens series where off-axis power & astigmatism errors were controlled ~1927 • AO commissions artist Norman Rockwell to paint 6 paintings for Tillyer Lens Advertising 1930 • High Temple Fulvue frame introduced 1931 • Fulvue fused ¾ segment bifocals introduced 1933- AO celebrates 100th Anniversary 1935 • AO acquires Spencer Lens • Expands into precision optics 1936 • Joel Cheney Wells retires after 43 years at age 62 • He began work as office boy • George B. Wells elected President of AO • Son of Albert Wells • Grandson of George W. Wells 1936- 1939 • In spite of the Depression • Employees increased from 5,000 to 7,000! • Sales increased from $16 million to $19 million! 1938 • Dr. Tillyer credited with the Additive Power Phoroptor 1938 • AO Bureau of Visual Science was founded 1939 • AO Legal and Patent Department established 1940 • AO first introduces plastic safety lenses made from methyl methacrylate 1941 • AO Putnam Connecticut Safety Product Facility Opens • Labor shortage in Southbridge causes expansion 1942 • AO Opens Brattleboro, Vermont facility • Began to produce 18.5 Million pairs of lenses for Armed Services 1943 • By 1943, facility has 380 workers and produces 2 Million Safety and Aviator lenses • AO provided 14 Million prescription eyeglassed to Armed Forces & still filled WWII Prism compenstated civilian orders glass goggles (Dr. Estelle Glancy) 1944 • AO has 45% of sales in Government contracts for War effort • Sales doubled since 1934 1945 • AO Sight Screeners introduced to check vision • Industrial vision protection plan begun – The American Plan 1945 • AO Monoplex Eye opens in Southbridge • Produces life-like hand painted artificial eyes 1946 • AO begins research on Contact Lenses • First Manufacture in 1947 1947 • AO and Polaroid produce first successful curved polarized lens 1947 • Metal spectacle goggles, new 10K & 14K gold alloys for frames • Metal Frame Plant in Southbridge was completed 1948 • AO forms Plastics division • Lenticular E one-piece cataract lens introduced • Microfilm reader, Calobar uniform density lens 1950 • AO Products diversify • Camera lenses, projectors, binoculars, molded items for automobiles 1952 • AO begins to manufacture Glass Executive bifocals • Process and location stays the same until 2005 closing!!! 1953 • Quarter Century Club (25 years with company) has a record attendance of 755! 1953 • Glass Microscopic Lenses for Low Vision introduced 1954 • AO Student Microscopes introduced • AO / CIA work together on Fiber Optics • Will Hicks joins AO • AO becomes publicly owned • 9000 investors buy stock in AO • Advantages of Minus Toric surfaces for finished lens series proposed 1954 Photo – AO Main Plant August 19, 1955 • Flood devastates area, AO considers closing 1955 • Flood almost closes Southbridge facility • 15 feet of water where Hotel lobby is today • High water mark shown at second floor window (top mark) 1955 • Todd – AO’ s first production • Wide screen projection, improved Sound • Oklahoma opens in October 1955 in NYC 1955 • Diamond Studded Elsa Schiaparelli designer frame commissioned 1955 • AO sales reach $75 million 1955 • AO Electronic Lensometer patented and manufactured • Displays in Chicago 1956 • First cast finished single vision 56mm lens • Originally called Plasticor • Later to be renamed AOLITE 1957 • AO expands research in Fiber Optics, Wide Screen television, military applications 1958 • AOLITE CR-39 Aspheric Cataract Lens Introduced • New products include Rx master phoroptor & high lift ophthalmic chair 1959 • Ultra high speed camera patent & intravenous measurement device of oxygen in human blood • Fiber Optics business developed • R&D develops Sidewinder Missile for the Military 1960 • Polarstar (polarizing) & Flouristar Microscopes introduced for cancer research • Justice Dept. ruling results in AO divesting from Rx laboratories • Ophthalmic Division maintains sales, growing acceptance of Tillyer Exec & AOLITE Aspheric cataract 1961 • Optical lasers developed for the Air Force • Laser Inc. formed to R&D optics, electronics, lasers • AO Cardiometer & DC Defribrillator 1961 • Davis, Fernald & Rayner design Masterpiece FSV glass series corrected for off-axis performance errors 1961 – Dec 7 • Dr. Edgar Tillyer turns 80 (at Left) • Dr. Estelle Glancy and John Davis (bowtie) at his side 1962 • AOLITE plastic lens market rapidly expands • Record number of new frame styles • AOLITE 62mm Finished Single Vision lenses introduced 1963 • Fiber Optics • Solar powered laser transmitter completed for the Air Force 1964 • Noel Roscrow (founder of SOLA) visits the AOLITE CR-39 manufacturing plant operation in Southbridge, Mass. • AOLUX laser glass reached market, new endoscope introduced 1965 • Medical Division develops implantable Pacemaker • Tillyer Masterpiece lens, first new SV lens in 30 years • AOLITE Executive Bifocal introduced AO Southbridge ~1965 1967 • Warner-Lambert buys American Optical (becomes publicly owned) 1975 • AO Tumble Abrasion Test developed by John Young 1973 • AOLITE 66mm FSV lens series introduced 1976 • Aspheric lens design patent – John Davis 1978 • AO’s first Progressive lens introduced (Ultravue / AO7 in Europe) – Dr. John Winthrop 1979 • Glass manufacturing plant closed at Southbridge facility (6 Million Dollars in Platinum sold off) 1980 • Fulvue Cataract lens patent – Donald B. Whitney • Fulvue Cataract lens introduced • AOLITE 77mm FSV product line introduced 1981 • Unique polycarbonate decentered plano safety lens introduced called the S1000. • Prism correction for lens faceform angle 1980 • First Abrasion resistant hard coating introduced - Permalite 1982 • Photolite, the first plastic photochromic lens is introduced 1982