A Changing World
From the moon landing and the first hydraulic loader crane to ChatGPT and the Mars mission: The past decades have been filled with groundbreaking inventions, cultural revolutions, and societal turning points.
Keep scrolling down and across to see how major world events have intertwined with PALFINGER's rise to become one of the leaders of its industry.
From Workshop to a Global Market Leader
Inception
PALFINGER is founded as a small workshop, laying the cornerstone for an impressive success story.
Factory Construction
A new assembly plant is built in Kasern. In the same year, ABBA wins the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”, the start of their worldwide success.
Global Operation
PALFINGER operates in over 70 countries. The export ratio exceeds the 90 percent mark.
Financial Market
PALFINGER goes public and delivers its 100,000th crane. In 2024, PALFINGER celebrates its 25th anniversary as a listed company.
Sustainability
PALFINGER adopts the Group Environmental Protection Directive. The Paris Agreement on climate change is signed in the same year.
Globalisation
Implementation of the Global PALFINGER Organization (GPO). In the same year, Austria says goodbye to a sporting legend: Niki Lauda dies at the age of 70.
Record Revenue
PALFINGER achieves the third successive record year with revenue of EUR 2.45 billion and the opening of NAM headquarters in Schaumburg.
Market Launch
20 key product launches are planned.
Technology Boom & Social Change
Birth Control
The contraceptive pill is approved in the USA. Research is also being conducted to help fulfil the desire to have children: in 1978, the first "test-tube baby" was born.
Assasination
John F. Kennedy is shot dead.
Civil Rights
Martin Luther King Jr. gives his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
Math Miracle
The first pocket calculator ushers in the era of miniaturization. In 1971, the next milestone was reached: the Intel 4004, the first microprocessor to integrate processing power onto a single chip.
Surgery
The first successful heart transplant is performed.
Pioneering Achievement
Kathrine Switzer becomes the first woman to take part in a marathon. The race manager tries to shove her off the course.
Music Festival
The first Woodstock festival.
Lunar Landing
Apollo 11: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first humans to set foot on the moon. 39 years later, in 2008, the dawn of commercial spaceflight begins.
Digitalization is Picking Up Speed
Microprocessor
Introduction of the first Intel 4004 microprocessor. As early as 1967, the first pocket calculator marks the beginning of the era of miniaturization.
Mobile Telephony
While the first mobile phone call is made in New York City, it isn’t until 2007 that the first iPhone is released.
Eurovision
ABBA wins the Eurovision Song Contest with “Waterloo”.
Rock Hit
Queen releases “Bohemian Rhapsody” - in 1985, the song creates goosebumps at the largest charity concert in the world.
Conference
The first G7 summit is held. France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada come together for the first time to discuss global economic and political challenges.
Motorsport
Niki Lauda becomes Formula 1 World Drivers’ Champion for the 2nd time – only one year after his near-fatal accident. In 2019 he dies at the age of 70.
Science Fiction
George Lucas' first “Star Wars” movie is released. Just eight years earlier, science fiction becomes reality: In 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first people to set foot on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission.
In Vitro
The birth of Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby, marked the beginning of a new era in reproductive medicine. By 2010, four million people had already been born as a result of in vitro fertilization.
Crisis, Consumerism and Computer Culture
Tragedy
John Lennon is shot dead in front of his apartment in New York City.
Pop Culture
"Pac-Man" is released and becomes a symbol of gaming culture. With the rise of the internet starting in 1991, gaming shifts to the online space.
Royal Wedding
Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer get married, but the marriage would only last 15 years and ends in divorce in 1996.
Moonwalk
Michael Jackson performs his iconic dance move for the first time. The King of Pop passes away in 2009 at the age of 50.
AIDS
The HIV-1 virus is isolated from a patient for the first time.
Sporting Premiere
New Olympic discipline: solo synchronized swimming. It is included for the last time in 1992.
Live Aid
The world's largest charity concert takes place, where Queen performs their legendary song "Bohemian Rhapsody" – ten years after its release in 1975.
Atomic Energy
Nuclear disaster in Chernobyl.
Hand of God
Diego Maradona scores the infamous “Hand of God” goal
Stock Market Crash
“Black Monday” — the Dow Jones suffers the largest drop by percentage in its history.
Golden Slam
Steffi Graf wins all four Grand Slams and Olympic gold in a single year – an unparalleled triumph to this day. Decades later, Novak Djokovic makes tennis history in 2023 when he sets a new record with his 24th Grand Slam title.
Climate Council
The founding of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Its analyses and warnings pave the way for the 2015 emissions goal: the Paris Climate Agreement, which for the first time defines binding measures to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Fall of The Wall
The fall of the Berlin Wall heralds the reunification of Germany. Built in 1961, the Wall separated East and West Germany for almost 30 years.
Animated Series
The pilot episode of "The Simpsons" is broadcast for the first time. The series still impresses today with its predictions, such as the presidency of Donald Trump, which leads into a second term in 2025.
Global Operations
PALFINGER operates in over 70 countries. The export ratio exceeds the 90 percent mark.
Globalization & Cultural Diversity
Genetic Research
Start of the Human Genome Project — it provides the human blueprint until 2003: the first sequenced human genome.
WWW
Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web, which by 2021 is used by more than half of the world's population.
Transformation
Yugoslavia dissolves, and Slovakia and the Czech Republic are formed.
End of Apartheid
Nelson Mandela becomes President of South Africa.
WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is founded.
Cloning
Dolly, the first cloned mammal, is born and sparks global ethical debates about genetic engineering.
Hype
The hype surrounding Tamagotchis leads to worldwide bans in schools.
Hogwarts
The first Harry Potter novel is published.
The founding of the search engine Google. Just six years later, in 2004, a new era of digital networking begins with the launch of the first social media platform.
Automobile Industry
The first Smart car is launched on the market.
Euro
The euro is introduced as the currency in eleven EU countries.
Social Media & Smartphones Are Conquering Everyday Life
Sales Record
Britney Spears breaks sales records with her debut album ... Baby One More Time – with fame comes sexualization. In 2017, the #MeToo movement exposes such power structures within the industry.
9/11
More than 2,500 people die in the attack on the World Trade Center.
Smartphone
The first Apple iPhone is released. Without this breakthrough, a global phenomenon like Pokémon GO in 2016 would have been unthinkable.
Melting Ice Caps
The sea ice area in the Arctic is the smallest it has been since satellite measurements began. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was established in 1988 to warn about such dramatic consequences of climate change.
Economic Crises
The worldwide financial crisis rocks the global economy. A sign of this appeared as early as 1987 with the stock market crash on "Black Monday," when the Dow Jones recorded its largest percentage loss.
Commercial Space Travel
The launch of the SpaceX Falcon 1 marks the beginning of commercial spaceflight, 39 years after the first man landed on the Moon in 1969.
World Record
Usain Bolt sets a new 100m world record of 9.58 seconds at the World Championships in Berlin.
Death of an Idol
Michael Jackson dies, almost 26 years after the legendary moment in 1983 when he first performed the moonwalk on stage.
Ai, Climate Protection & Global Movements
Artificial Insemination
Around four million people have been born through artificial insemination. The first “test-tube baby” was Louise Brown, born in 1978, who is now 46 years old.
PSY
The video for the song “Gangnam Style” becomes the first YouTube video to achieve over 1 billion views – a viral success that would not have been possible without the invention of the World Wide Web by Tim Berners-Lee in 1991.
Record Jump
Felix Baumgartner is the first person to jump out of the stratosphere with a parachute. A daring adventure reminiscent of the pioneering achievement of the moon landing in 1969.
Scandal
The anti-doping agency bans cycling superstar Lance Armstrong for life.
Emission Target
The Paris Agreement is adopted — the goal is to keep global warming below 1.5 °C. Nine years later – in 2024 – this target is passed for the first time.
Augmented Reality
Pokémon GO connects the real world with digital adventures for billions of players. It was the technological breakthrough of the first iPhone in 2007 that made such experiences possible in everyday life.
Feminism
Start of the #MeToo movement. Women around the world speak out about the abuse of power and sexualisation – experiences that stars like Britney Spears had in the early 2000s in their careers.
Climate Strike
Greta Thunberg starts the Fridays for Future movement. As early as 1988, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) laid the scientific foundation for understanding climate change.
AI
OpenAI releases the first GPT model.
Gene Manipulation
He Jiankui creates the first genetically modified babies in China, sparking ethical debates worldwide. The birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, in 1978 marked a similar milestone, which also triggered medical and ethical discussions.
Tesla
Elon Musk launches a Tesla Roadster into space with SpaceX. In 1977, George Lucas' first science fiction film, Star Wars, sparked a fascination with space that has now become a reality.
Sporting Icon
Formula 1 legend Niki Lauda dies at the age of 70. In 1977, he won the World Championship for the second time - just one year after his near-fatal accident.
Hit Series
The final episode of “Game of Thrones” is seen by over 19 million viewers, a record number. In 1989, the animated series ‘The Simpsons’ laid the foundation for cult series with its first pilot episode.
Crisis, Innovation & New Realities
Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic leads to global lockdowns.
Brexit
The United Kingdom leaves the European Union after 47 years.
Blockage
The container ship Ever Given blocks the Suez Canal for six days.
Ukraine War
Start of the invasion of Russian troops in Ukraine.
Tennis
Novak Djokovic wins his 24th Grand Slam title, setting a new record. As early as 1988, Steffi Graf made history with the Golden Slam, winning all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in a single year - a feat that remains unmatched in tennis to this day.
Record Revenue
PALFINGER records its third consecutive record year with revenue of EUR 2.45 billion and the opening of the NAM headquarters in Schaumburg.
Heatwave
The hottest summer since records began — global warming exceeds 1.5 °C for the first time, a target set in the 2015 Paris Agreement.
Recession
Germany is in recession for the second year in a row.
Tour
Taylor Swift's “Eras Tour” generates all-time high earnings for a concert tour of USD 2.1 billion.
Innaguration
Donald Trump is sworn in as President of the United States for the second time. A moment that is particularly reminiscent of The Simpsons, which has been running since 1989 and caused a stir in 2000 with its prediction of his first consecutive term in season 17, episode 11.
