Timeline
1920: First store is established in downtown Seattle and is called Eddie Bauer's Sport Shop.
1934: The company secures U.S. and Canadian patents on the Bauer Shuttlecock, which remains the standard for the sport today.
1936: Eddie Bauer manufactures an innovative goose down insulated garment, the Skyliner jacket.
1940: The Skyliner jacket is patented.
1942: U.S. Army Air Corps commissions the Eddie Bauer B-9 Flight Parka. More than 50,000 jackets were made and worn for warmth during altitude flights.
1945: Eddie Bauer issues first mail-order catalog.
1963: Eddie Bauer outfits Jim Whittaker, the first American to summit Mount Everest.
1968: Company founder Eddie Bauer retires, selling business to trusted friend and partner William Niemi and his son.
1970s: The company's focus shifts from expedition gear and apparel to casual lifestyle apparel.
1971: The company is sold to General Mills. National retail expansion begins in earnest.
1983: Eddie Bauer begins partnership with Ford to produce Eddie Bauer Edition Ford vehicles. The first Eddie Bauer Edition Ford rolls off the assembly line in 1984.
1988: Spiegel purchase Eddie Bauer from General Mills.
1993: Eddie Bauer launches first catalog in Germany.
1993: Eddie Bauer expands internationally with the formation of Eddie Bauer Japan, a joint venture partnership designed to develop and operate Eddie Bauer stores and catalogs in Japan.
1996: Eddie Bauer launches www.eddiebauer.com, establishing a third channel of distribution to complement the retail and catalog divisions.
2003: Eddie Bauer's parent company, Spiegel Inc, files for Chapter 11 reorganization
2005: Eddie Bauer Holdings, Inc. formed as result of Spiegel reorganization. First Board of Directors formed. Eddie Bauer becomes a stand-alone company for the first time in 34 years.
2007: Neil Fiske is named Chief Executive Officer.
