Opel is a German car manufacturer, based in Russelsheim, which began as a maker of sewing machines. Adam Opel started the company in a small workshop, and his sons later added bicycles, and then cars, from the end of the nineteenth century. In 1929 the American company General Motors took a majority stake, and the firm became part of its European operations, and the name Opel was used in Germany, with the Vauxhall brand in Britain. The company produced popular models such as the Kadett, the Astra and the Corsa. In 2017 General Motors sold Opel to the French group PSA, which merged into the multinational Stellantis in 2021.
Before and after
- 9 November 1861Origins of Canadian football
- 1862Construction of Russian State Library
- 1862Publication of Les Misérables
- 18 January 1862Death of John Tyler
- 21 January 1862Founding of Opel
- 23 January 1862Birth of David Hilbert
- 15 May 1862Battle of Drewry's Bluff
- 7 June 1862Birth of Philipp Lenard
- 2 July 1862Birth of William Henry Bragg
More in Society, economy & sport
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- 14 September 1867Karl Marx publishes Das Kapital
- 29 November 1899Founding of FC Barcelona
- 30 June 1908Tunguska event
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.