The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by 38-year-old Frank Seiberling. He purchased our first plant with a $3,500 down payment using money he borrowed from a brother-in-law. The timing couldn't have been better. The bicycle craze of the 1890s was booming. The horseless carriage was a wide-open challenge. On Aug. 29, 1898, Goodyear was incorporated with a capital stock of $100,000. Our winged-foot trademark was inspired by a newel-post statuette of the Roman god Mercury in the home of Goodyear founder Frank Seiberling. Seiberling felt Mercury embodied many of the characteristics for which Goodyear products were known.
