1883 - G.A. Krause founded the company that would become Wolverine World Wide. He is believed to have said, "There is some opportunity here."

1901 - First, G.A. organized the Rogue River Electric Light and Power Company and brought electricity to Rockford, Michigan from 5:30 a.m to 11:30 p.m daily.

1903 - Then G.A. and his sons built a shoe factory in Rockford, Michigan. It made 300 pairs of shoes each day.

1908 - Next, G.A. and his sons built the Wolverine tannery and began supplying their shoe factory with tough, durable horsehide.

1914 - The Wolverine brand name was selected for shoes made of Wolverine horsehide leather. They were called "1000 Mile Shoes."

1919 - Wolverine began national advertising: Wolverine work shoes were sold by one of the earliest national sales forces, and became very popular.

1921 - Flush with success, the Hirth-Krause Company changed its name to Wolverine Shoe and Tanning Corporation and began to grow ever more quickly.

1928 - Wolverine began selling shares of the company to its own employees - a part of one of the nation's first profit sharing plans.

1931 - The Great Depression came, and although sales were down factory lines were kept running and shoes were warehoused for better times.

1941 - During World War II the Wolverine Shoe & Tanning Company went to work for the U.S. Navy, developing pigskin gloves.

1946 - By the end of the war, Wolverine engineers had created a new leather: pigskin suede, and built a factory to produce it.

1952 - With horses disappearing from the American landscape Wolverine searched for new ways to use pigskin suede. G.A. Krause's son, Victor led the race.

1957 - A breakthrough came; the creation of soft, suede casual shoes. America would not be the same. Hush Puppies was born.

1958 - Hush Puppies shoes got their name from a treat Southerners used to quiet their barking dogs.

1959 - Wolverine launched the Hush Puppies brand with a heavy marketing and advertising campaign. V. Krause is believed to have said, "There is some promise here."

1959 - Hush Puppies signed its first licensee: Greb Shoes, Ltd. of Canada. Plans for international expansion were under way.

1963 - Sales of Hush Puppies shoes went through the roof. One in ten American adults now owned a pair of "Hush Puppies".

1964 - The company chose a more fitting name, and Wolverine Shoe & Tanning Company became Wolverine World Wide, Inc.

1965 - Wolverine stock went up on the "Big Board" and was traded on the New York Stock Exchange for the first time.

1976 - Wolverine World Wide began laying the foundations of its brand family and leading technologies.

1986 - Wolverine funded the Biomechanical Engineering Laboratory at Michigan State University, and formed the International Design Center in Montecatini, Italy.

1989 - Wolverine World Wide’s international business reached record levels. The total value of the wholesale sales of our international licensees surpassed the level of wholesale business in the US.

1990 - Wolverine World Wide began to build its future; for Hush Puppies it created a dynamic new image: "We Invented Casual."

1992 - Then Wolverine introduced DuraShocks, the first true comfort system for workboots. Wolverine DuraShocks created a revolution.

1994 - Wolverine introduced the world to "Walking Machines" - Caterpillar Footwear, and a new fashion found its way onto city streets.

1995 - Hush Puppies Shoes were voted Fashion Accessory of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

1997 - Wolverine World Wide purchased the Merrell brand and began the process of developing the leading global brand in performance outdoor footwear.

1998 - We acquired the global license for footwear from the Harley-Davidson company. This continues to be one of our top performing businesses featuring bold, edgy and sexy footwear for riders and those who aspire to the Harley-Davidson lifestyle.

2000 - Tim O’Donovan became the CEO and President of Wolverine World Wide.

2001 - We acquired our European Caterpillar and Merrell businesses from our former master distributor creating our first owned wholesale businesses on the continent.

2003 - We purchased Sebago, an authentic American brand featuring hand sewn dress casual and performance marine footwear including Docksides.

2005 - Company sales topped one billion dollars for the first time.  Tim O'Donovan named Chairman of the Board of Directors.  Blake Krueger named President and Chief Operating Officer.

2006 - Acquired the global license to design and market Patagonia Footwear. The Patagonia brand is recognized worldwide as a leader in premium, performance outdoor apparel with a fundamental passion for global environmental awareness and action.

2007 - Blake Krueger is promoted to President and Chief Executive Officer. His role prior to this was as the President and Chief Operating Officer.