The General Electric Company was founded in 1892 from a merger between Edison General Electric Company (backed by Thomas Edison's research) and The Thomson-Houston Company. Early on, GE pioneered household electrical products — fans, lights, irons. By 1900, the company had 10,000 employees and $20 million in annual sales.
In 1927, GE introduced the "Monitor Top" refrigerator — the first mass-produced residential cooling unit. In its first year, it captured 7% of the refrigerator market. GE eventually produced over a million units. The company expanded into cooking appliances (1907), automatic washing machines, dishwashers, and dryers throughout the 20th century.
GE was an early innovator in manufacturing too — adopting plastic molding, computers, and robotics before most competitors. The company became known for thoughtful design: colored appliances in the 1950s, the first food-waste disposer, the first heat pump climate system, the first self-cleaning oven.
In 2016, Haier (a Chinese manufacturer) acquired GE Appliances for $5.6 billion. Under the terms, Haier has the right to use the GE brand name until 2056. GE Appliances headquarters remain in Louisville, Kentucky, and the company continues manufacturing in the United States. Today, GE offers refrigerators, ranges, ovens, cooktops, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, microwaves, and water heaters through its main GE brand, plus premium sub-brands like Café, Monogram, and Profile.
