Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, or Goodyear, is one of the world's oldest tire manufacturing companies, with a history that dates back over 120 years. With the tire manufacturing business being nearly as lucrative as the automotive industry itself, Goodyear has stood the test of time and etched its place in history along the way.

But with Goodyear's rich past, there are facts about the American company you might not know. From iconic advertising stints and motorsport endeavors, all the facts on this list will likely come as a surprise. Tires are normally a boring topic, but not today.

1 Goodyear Was Named After The Inventor Of Vulcanized Rubber

The Goodyear brand was named after Charles Goodyear, an American chemist and manufacturing engineer who was the credited inventor of vulcanized rubber in 1839. The manufacturing process revolutionized the rubber industry, which led to the creation of tires for automobiles. Goodyear wasn't the founder of the company, though. That distinction goes to then 38-year-old Frank Seiberling, who founded the company in 1898, 38 years after Goodyear's death.

2 The First Goodyear Factory Opened In Akron, Ohio

Seiberling founded the Goodyear rubber company in 1898, with its first plant in Akron, Ohio. It was a converted strawboard factory, bought with a $3,500 down payment borrowed from Seiberling's brother-in-law. The company's first office building, a two-story structure, was built on East Market Street in 1900. Since then, Goodyear has expanded its manufacturing and development centers all over the world, with over 30 facilities in the Americas alone.

In 2013, Goodyear held a grand opening of its new global headquarters in Akron. The 639,000-square-foot building is connected to the existing Innovation Center and has been serving as a central campus for the company since then.

3 Goodyear Also Made Non-Tire Products, Including Poker Chips

With only 13 staff members, Goodyear began its production on November 21, 1898, right at the height of the bicycle craze of the 1890s. The company's first product line included tires for bicycles and carriages, as well as horseshoe pads and even poker chips. Nowadays, Goodyear poker ships can be found on eBay as relics of the past.

4 The Iconic Goodyear Blimp First Flew In 1925

The Goodyear airship was among the most iconic products that came out of Akron. Also known as the Goodyear blimp, the airship served as an advertising stint for the company, with the first example, called Pilgrim, taking its first light in 1925. The company replaced all of its blimps with semi-rigid airships in 2014.

5 Goodyear Made Airships And Balloons For The US Military

During the flight of the first Goodyear blimp, the company also made the Goodyear RS-1 – a semi-rigid airship used by the US military and operated by the US Army Airship Service during World War I. It was the only advanced semi-rigid airship manufactured in America, utilizing an internal gondola suspension. It was primarily used for search and patrol operations and remained in service until the late 1920s.

6 The Patent For The First Tubeless Automotive Tire Was Granted To Goodyear

Automobile tires are tubeless these days, except for airless tires. Before becoming standard in all cars in the 1950s, the patent for the first tubeless tire was granted nearly half a century earlier. Goodyear's Paul Litchfield was granted the patent in 1903, but it wasn't used commercially until these tires were fitted to a 1954 Packard.

7 Goodyear Made The Tires That Landed On The Moon

The first lunar landing happened in 1969, but it wasn't until 1971 that the first tires rolled over the surface of the moon. These tires were made by Goodyear. The project started in 1969 with NASA, with the Ohio-based company making two non-pneumatic XLTs (Experimental Lunar Tires) for the Apollo 14 mission.

The XLTs were mounted on a Modularized Equipment Transporter (MET), a two-wheeled non-powered cart used to carry equipment and samples collected by the astronauts. With a curb weight of 165 pounds, the XLT-equipped vehicle could be pulled at speeds of up to 2.5 miles per hour.

8 It Has Been NASCAR’s Sole Tire Supplier Since 1997

The partnership between Goodyear and NASCAR has been around for over 70 years, but it wasn’t until 1997 that the tire manufacturer became the sole supplier of the American racing series. At the time, Goodyear was competing with Hoosier in the so-called "tire wars," which saw innovations from both brands, including Goodyear's radial tires in 1989.

In 2022, Goodyear and NASCAR signed a new multi-year agreement renewing the former's position as the exclusive tire supplier for the latter's top three national series.

9 The First Global Tire Manufacturer That Entered China

Despite China's first tire being produced in 1934, it wasn't until six decades later that tire brands from other countries entered the Chinese market. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company entered a joint venture with Dalian Rubber General Factory and established Dalian in 1994 - the first global automotive tire maker to do so. French tire maker Michelin followed suit in 1995, while Japanese brand Bridgestone entered in 1996 – both also via a joint venture.

10 Goodyear Has Several Initiatives Connected To Sustainability

As early as 2008, Goodyear started rolling out environmentally friendly initiatives. It was this year that the company introduced the Goodyear Eagle LS2000, which used filler materials derived from corn starch thanks to BioTRED compounding technology, increasing the tire's flexibility and resistance to energy loss. This subsequently extends the tire's life span, lessening the environmental impact of tire manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Goodyear announced in 2023 that it's on a mission to create tires made of sustainable materials – bio-based/renewable, recycled material – by 2030. It introduced a tire made of 90% sustainable materials in the same year.