ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil (Exxon) is one of the largest oil companies in the world and the largest publicly held corporation as judged by market capitalization. Exxon is the largest non-state owned oil producer in the world as well. In 1999, Exxon merged with Mobil to form the largest publicly-traded company (by revenue) in the U.S.

Company Overview

The company has roots in the oil business since the first successful drill was built in 1859. "Imperial Oil" is the original form of the company and has evolved greatly since its introduction in 1880.

The company reformed and absorbed many different brands over the years, the oldest that is still existing today being Esso which formed in 1926.

In 1931 Mobil Oil trademarked the Pegasus or "Peggy" logo. In 1966 Mobil Oil was incorporated and trademarked the red "O." In 1999 Exxon and Mobil merged and became the largest petroleum enterprise in the world. On July 31, 2008, Exxon posted a second-quarter profit of $11.66 billion, the largest in U.S. history.c

In the last 125 years Exxon has changed from marketing kerosene in the United States, to an international oil Enterprise. ExxonMobil is most famous for its brand names: Exxon, Esso and Mobil. The company describes their products as "the products that drive modern transportation, power cities, lubricate industry and provide petrochemical building blocks that lead to thousands of consumer goods."c

ExxonMobil Timeline

1870: John D. Rockefeller and associates form Standard Oil Company out of Ohio, combining facilities to create the largest refining capacity of any single firm worldwide.

1882: Standard Oil Company lubricates the first central generating system built by Thomas Edison. The Standard Oil Trust is also formed, included the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey and New York.

1885: Standard Oil Trust moves to Broadway, New York City.

1903: The Wright brothers use Jersey Standard Fuel and Mobiloil lubricants for their first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

1911: Standard Oil breaks into 34 unrelated companies as a result of a Supreme Court decision, including Jersey

Standard, Socony and Vacuum Oil.

1926: Using the phonetic initials of Standard Oil, "S O," Jersey Standard releases a blend of fuel under the name "Esso."

1927 and 1928: Charles Lindbergh uses Mobiloil in the Spirit of St. Louis during the first solo flight across the Atlantic the year before Amelia Earhart uses Mobiloil on

her solo flight as well.

1952: Jersey Standard introduces Uniflo motor oil, a multigrade oil used in summer and winter.

1958: The first trans-Atlantic Pan American flight from New York to London is fueled by Mobil aviation fuel.

1959: A Chicago advertising copywriter coins the slogan, "Put a tiger in your tank."

1966: Mobil changes its name to Mobil Oil Corporation, launching an identity program to popularize the Mobil trade name.

1972: Jersey Standard changes its name to Exxon Corporation.

1974: Mobil introduces synthetic automotive engine lubricant called Mobil 1, still the world's leading synthetic

motor oil.

1976: Mobil invents a methanol to high-octane gasoline conversion process.

1989: On March 24, the Exxon Valdez tanker runs aground in Alaska's Prince William Sound.

1999: On November 30, Exxon and Mobil form the Exxon Mobil Corporation.c

Notable Feats

Exxon successfully completed the drilling of the Z-11 well in 2007, an oil rig that has the longest measured depth in the world. The company has also created the "SCANfining" process, which removes 95 percent of the sulfur from gasoline and increases octane.

Exxon also created "Exxpol," which is a single-celled metallocene that increases the toughness and reduces the odor of rubber and plastic.c

The most negative point in the company's history was the oil spill of 1989 that Exxon was solely responsible for. The spill was not considered fully cleaned up by the U.S. Coast Guard until 1992. The company claims to have provided compensation to all local residents who were directly affected by damage to or loss of goods.c