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Our Company - History: 1940s

1940s

1940s
1940	Dow purchases land in Texas to build plants to extract bromine and magnesium from Gulf of Mexico.
1941	Dow is awarded the Chemical Engineering Award for extracting magnesium from the sea.
1942	Dow expands internationally with the organization of Dow Chemical of Canada, Ltd. Dow produces and helps meet war-time needs for magnesium and synthetic rubber.
1943	Dow Chemical and Corning Glass form Dow Corning to produce silicones for the military. July 1943: Dow produces first styrene in Canada.
1944	Dow employees total 12,300.
1946	Construction begins on Dow's polystyrene plant in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Dow Canada maple leaf used with Dow Diamond.
1948	Plastics reach 20 percent of total Dow sales. First offering of Dow stock to employees.
1949	Willard H. Dow dies; Leland I. Doan named president. Annual sales pass $200 million.

Around the World

1945
WWII ends.

1947
The transistor is invented.