Sears Chronology
1880s 1890s 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
 1921

Sears faces a financial crisis, but Julius Rosenwald stakes his personal fortune to save the company.
 1923

Sears Roebuck Agricultural Foundation (a charitable organization) chartered.
 1924

Sears Agricultural Foundation begins operating radio station "WLS" ("World's Largest Store") in Chicago.

Julius Rosenwald is named chairman.

General Robert E. Wood joins Sears.  He will serve the company in executive-level positions, including terms as president and chairman, until his death in 1969.
 1925

Sears opens its first retail stores.
 1926

The Allstate brand (car tires) is born after a nationwide naming contest—more than 100,000 entries are submitted.
 1927

"Satisfaction Guaranteed or Your Money Back" slogan first appears in Sears catalogs.

Sears launches the Kenmore and Craftsman brands.
 1929
Stock market crashes, plunging America into the Great Depression.  Sears suffers, yet initially maintains aggressive expansion program.
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