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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.
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
1884• First AO spherical lenses made• Production started when Import tarriffs
were imposed.• Fireworks celebration in Southbridge on
November 15, 1884.
1886• AO sells 1,304,280 pairs of Spectacles• George Wells invention for drawing
eyewire for spectacle frames
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
1910• New “Lensdale Building” built• Made entirely of Cement• Site of Lens Manufacturing until 2005• AO Kryptok Bifocals first Manufactured
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
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
1926• Tillyer patents ophthalmic lens series where
off-axis power & astigmatism errors were controlled
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!
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 civilian orders
WWII Prism compenstatedglass goggles (Dr. Estelle Glancy)
1945
• AO Sight Screeners introduced to check vision
• Industrial vision protection plan begun – The American Plan
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
1952• AO begins to manufacture Glass Executive bifocals• Process and location stays the same until 2005 closing!!!
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
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
1956
• First cast finished single vision 56mm lens• Originally called Plasticor• Later to be renamed AOLITE
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
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
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
1982• Closed the Frederick, Maryland Frame Plant (out of Frame
making business)• Warner-Lambert sells American Optical to M&R (Mo
Cunniffe & Rudy Wood)
1983• AO Museum opens in Southbridge (John Young, Curator)• AO Brattleboro plant closes, Safety Lens Manufacturing
moves to relocate to Southbridge• AO celebrates 150th Anniversary; Optical Heritage
Museum founded
1985
• AO Truvision Progressive Lens patent – Dr. John Winthrop
• Fused Glass Bifocal operation closes in Southbridge
1984• AO produce Polycarbonate
Plano and Rx lenses for the Apache Helicopter pilots
• Steep curve (22 Diopters!)• RX’s – individual plus
torics individualized for pilots
1990
• Technica Progressive Lens introduced (designed for computer use)
• Polycarbonate OMNI product released• Safety Division sold to Cabot Corporation
1992
• AO Pro 15 Progressive Lens released• ASPHERLITE (Aspheric SFSV) product
released• Manufacturing completed its move to
Tijuana (except for Glass Executives)
1993
• Tijuana (AO Lens Mex) plant flood• Aspheric Single Vision “Inside-Out” patent
issued – Dr. John Winthrop / R. B. Whitney
1994
• AO Pro 16 Polycarbonate product introduced
• Fire in Glass Progressive Plant at the AO Lens Mex Tijuana facility
1996• Introduce AO 55 SFSV 1.549 Index (Nd)
Aspheric Single Vision design• SOLA International Inc. purchases AO
Ophthalmic Lens Division from AO Corporation (M&R) & renames it AO Lens Company
• AO Lens Co. Corporate Headquarters relocates from Southbridge, Mass. To San Diego, CA.
• Reunion of Todd-AO Researchers occurs / Visit Southbridge complex
1999
• AO Compact Progressive Lens awarded “Best in Lens Design” at Optical Laboratory Association Convention
2000
• DOD Lease signed on March 31, 2000; Demolition of Main Plant begins in April for Hotel and Conference Center
• AO & SOLA merge Sales & Marketing (East Coast Southbridge, West Coast Petaluma)
• SOLA buys Oracle Lens for $17.4 Million• AO b’Active General Purpose Lens released / For
Active Lifestyles – Includes Polarized version
2001
• AO Southbridge Warehouse closed in June 2001 / Consolidate of AO and SOLA Distribution Centers
2005• AO/SOLA/Carl Zeiss Ophthalmic merge to
become Carl Zeiss Vision• AO Glass Executive Lens operation ceases
after ~53 years
2006- AO Compact Ultra First Introduced (Completing Dr. John Winthrop’s long series of AO Progressive Lens Designs)
Lens Date Introduced• Ultravue 1974 • Truvision® 1981 • Truvision OMNI 1988• Truvision Technica® 1990• AO Pro® 15 1992• AO Pro® 16 1994• AO Force® 55 1996• AO Compact® 1998• AO b' Active™ 2000• AO Pro Easy™ 2002• AO Compact® Ultr 2006
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