The General Tire brand was born on September 29, 1915, when two Akron, Ohio businessmen, William F. O'Neil and Winfred E. Fouse, founded the General Tire and Rubber Company. With more than 300 companies making tires at the time, O'Neil and Fouse decided to first produce a premium replacement tire, along with a line of pneumatic truck tires. During the next decades, General Tire revolutionized tire manufacturing with the invention of the low pressure General Balloon Jumbos followed by further inventions like carbon black latex, oil-extended rubber and Gen-tech adhesive for tire cord. more... See more text