Say the word Corning and it’s a good bet that people will think of Corning Ware, the cookware in the cupboards in millions of kitchens. But Corning Inc. is so much more than that: For more than a century the company has been a world leader in developing specialty glass and ceramics for a range of uses, from protecting astronauts in spacecraft to decreasing pollution and use in the pharmaceutical industry.
Based in Corning, N.Y., the company has some 40,000 employees across the globe who continue to lead innovation in materials science. Over the course of the company’s storied history, its scientists have received numerous honors for their pioneering research and inventions ranging from cookware to new fiber optics.
Corning’s innovations date to 1879, when the company developed the bulb-shaped glass for Thomas Edison’s new incandescent lamp. Since then, Corning’s inventions have had applications in numerous industries, ranging from defense and aerospace to communications, electronics and medicine.
The company was incorporated in 1875 as Corning Glass Works Inc. Amory Houghton Jr., the company’s president, established the research laboratory in 1908. The company changed its name to Corning Inc. in 1989.
By Bob Warren
