| 1871年 |
Richard Joshua “R.J.” Reynolds was born in Patrick County, Virginia to Nancy Jane Cox Reynolds and Hardin William Reynolds, a successful tobacco farmer and manufacturer. He was one of 16 children and the second oldest son. |
| 1873年 |
At 24, R.J. Reynolds sold his interest in the family tobacco business to his father and left Patrick County to start his own tobacco company. |
| 1874-10-18 |
R.J. Reynolds purchased a hundred-foot lot on “Depot Street” and built the “Little Red Factory,” a two-story building covering less area than a tennis court. |
| 1874年 |
R.J. Reynolds began manufacturing chewing plug and twist in the 4,500 square foot factory, producing 150,000 pounds of chewing tobacco in 1875. |
| 1886-08-09 |
“R.J.R” was registered as a trademark for Plug and Twist Tobacco, Patent No. 13,566. |
| 1890-02-11 |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company was officially incorporated in North Carolina, with R.J. Reynolds as President and his brother Will Neal Reynolds as Vice President. |
| 1892-09-28 |
R.J. Reynolds personally contributed $500 to establish The Slater Industrial and State Normal School (now Winston-Salem State University). |
| 1892-10-19 |
R.J. Reynolds purchased land and built the “Little Red Factory,” a two-story building that covered less area than a tennis court. |
| 1892-11-11 |
R.J. Reynolds and Simon Atkins proposed and funded the first African American hospital in the South, The Slater Hospital, which opened on May 14, 1902. |
| 1893-06-06 |
J.W. Young was hired as the first dedicated salesman for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. |
| 1900年 |
R.J. Reynolds’ success enabled him to purchase most of the competing tobacco factories in Winston, producing approximately 25% of America’s chewing tobacco business. |
| 1905-02-27 |
R.J. Reynolds married Katharine Smith in Mount Airy, North Carolina. |
| 1911年 |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company introduced a pipe tobacco blend using Kentucky burley, naming it Prince Albert. |
| 1913-09-28 |
The towns of Winston and Salem were officially incorporated as Winston-Salem. The same year, the Camel name was associated with a circus photograph of a camel and a dromedary. |
| 1914-02-27 |
R.J. Reynolds married Katharine Smith in Mount Airy, North Carolina. |
| 1914-04-08 |
The R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company headquarters opened as a 314-foot Art Deco skyscraper designed by Shreve & Lamb. |
| 1914-04-23 |
The skyscraper was completed at a cost of $2.7 million, becoming the tallest building between Baltimore and Birmingham. |
| 1915-05-14 |
The Slater Hospital was formally opened during the ninth commencement of Slater School. |
| 1916年 |
Winston-Salem became the eighth-largest port of entry for goods in the U.S., despite being 200 miles inland. |
| 1917年 |
R.J. Reynolds’s success caught the attention of James B. Duke, leading to the American Tobacco Company’s formation and Reynolds’s continued independence under Duke’s control. |
| 1917年 |
R.J. Reynolds died at his home, Reynolda House, at age 68, serving as CEO for 43 years. |
| 1920年 |
William Neal Reynolds took over as President after his brother’s death in 1918 and became the first chairman of the board in 1924. |
| 1921年 |
William N. Reynolds purchased the 1,117-acre estate on the Yadkin River, establishing Tanglewood Park and Arboretum. |
| 1925年 |
Katharine Reynolds donated funds and land for R.J. Reynolds High School in memory of her husband. |
| 1929-04-23 |
The Art Deco skyscraper headquarters opened, designed by Shreve & Lamb, and became the tallest building in the region. |
| 1931年 |
S. Clay Williams became assistant general counsel, later serving as general counsel, vice-president, president, and chairman of the board until his death in 1935. |
| 1934年 |
James A. Gray became Vice President, then President, and later chairman of the board, contributing to the company’s growth and the establishment of the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. |
| 1936-07-28 |
Reynolds donated funds for the hospital to treat African-American patients, which opened as the Kate B. Reynolds Memorial Hospital. |
| 1937年 |
Bowman Gray, Sr. and his wife Nathalie oversaw the construction of Graylyn estate, completed in 1932, and donated stock for the Bowman Gray School of Medicine. |
| 1938-07-28 |
Reynolds donated $115,000 for the hospital, which opened with 100 beds, and later added a 96-bed extension. |
| 1940年 |
Whitaker Park opened as a desegregated facility, one of the most extensive actions in the South at the time. |
| 1941年 |
The Bowman Gray School of Medicine opened on property donated by the Gray family, expanding Wake Forest College’s medical program. |
| 1947年 |
Between 1947 and 1949, Bailey Power Plant was constructed to provide electricity and steam for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, with iconic smokestacks remaining today. |
| 1948-04-13 |
The personnel department was formally established, overseeing benefits and safety, with fewer accidents than the national average. |
| 1952-10-28 |
John C. Whitaker served as chairman from 1952 to 1959, and the Whitaker Park complex was named in his honor. |
| 1953年 |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company adopted an employee suggestion plan, rewarding workers for ideas. |
| 1954年 |
Winston filtered cigarettes were launched, marking a new era for the company. |
| 1956年 |
Air conditioning was added to the headquarters building. |
| 1957年 |
Bowman Gray, Jr., son of Bowman Gray, Sr., became President of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. |
| 1960年 |
Alexander H. Galloway drove growth and diversification, including the purchase of Sea-Land Industries and the rebranding to R.J. Reynolds Industries. |
| 1961年 |
Whitaker Park opened as a desegregated facility, one of the most extensive actions in the South at the time. |
| 1964-01-11 |
The Surgeon General’s Advisory Committee issued a report on smoking and health, leading to the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965. |
| 1975年 |
Over 50,000 people attended R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company’s 100th anniversary. |
| 1980年 |
The company invested $500 million in a new cigarette plant in Tobaccoville, NC. |
| 1982年 |
The modernist R.J. Reynolds Plaza Building was completed, becoming the headquarters for R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company and Reynolds American in 2009. |
| 1986-09-19 |
The Tobaccoville Manufacturing Center was dedicated, situated on 614 acres with 2 million square feet of space. |
| 1995年 |
Andrew J. Schindler was named President and CEO, returning the headquarters to Winston-Salem in 2002. |
| 1998-11-23 |
The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement was entered between the four largest U.S. tobacco companies and 52 state and territory attorneys’ generals. |
| 2002年 |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings purchased Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company (Natural American Spirit) for $340 million. |
| 2004年 |
Brown & Williamson Tobacco merged with R.J. Reynolds Tobacco, forming Reynolds American Inc., with British American Tobacco owning 42%. |
| 2004年 |
Susan Ivey was named President and CEO of Reynolds American Inc., the first woman CEO of a major tobacco company. |
| 2005年 |
Reynolds American donated a 40-acre downtown factory complex, including nearly 3 million sq. ft. of buildings, to the community. |
| 2006年 |
Reynolds American’s acquisition of Conwood expanded its portfolio to smokeless tobacco brands like Kodiak, Cougar, and Grizzly. |
| 2008年 |
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company introduced Camel SNUS, a heat-treated, spitless tobacco pouch. |
| 2011年 |
Daniel M. Delen oversaw the launch of Vuse Solo, gaining a 33% market share by 2015. |
| 2014年 |
Susan Cameron re-joined Reynolds American and announced the acquisition of Lorillard Inc and the Newport brand, the largest woman-led acquisition at the time. |
| 2016年 |
Debra Crew replaced Cameron as president and CEO, the first woman to succeed another woman as CEO of a Fortune 500 company. |
| 2017年 |
BAT agreed to acquire the remaining shares of Reynolds American, integrating it into the global BAT Group. |
