Adam Opel
A German locksmith whose eponymous company evolved from sewing machines to bicycles and finally into a cornerstone of the European auto industry.
1837–1895 (age 58)·Founder of Opel and manufacturer of bicycles and sewing machines·Birthday: May 9
Biography
Adam Opel founded his company in 1862 in Rüsselsheim, initially producing sewing machines before pivoting to bicycle manufacturing in 1886. Trained as a locksmith, he committed to quality and innovation, making his firm the world's largest bicycle maker by his death in 1895. His sons inherited a robust industrial enterprise and steered it into automobile production a few years later, using the foundation their father built to create one of Germany's enduring automotive brands.
#1 When Adam Was Born
The biggest hits of 1837
Adam's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1837Born
1842Started school
1850Became a teenager
1853Could drive
1855Could vote
1858Turned 21
1867Turned 30
President: Andrew Johnson
1877Turned 40
President: Rutherford B. Hayes
1887Turned 50
President: Grover Cleveland
1895Died at 58
First public film screening by the Lumiere brothers
President: Grover Cleveland
Key Achievements
- Founded Adam Opel AG in 1862, beginning as a manufacturer of sewing machines.
- Successfully expanded the company into bicycle production in 1886, capitalizing on a growing market.
- Built Opel into the world's largest bicycle manufacturer by the time of his death in 1895.
- Established a reputation for precision engineering and quality that provided the foundation for the later auto company.
- Created a family-run industrial enterprise that his sons transformed into a major automobile producer.
Did You Know?
The first Opel sewing machines bore the motto 'Opel'sche Perle' (Opel's Pearl).
He and his wife, Sophie, had five sons who all became involved in the family business.
The company's first bicycle was called the 'Velociped.'
Opel did not live to see his company manufacture automobiles; the first Opel car was produced in 1899, four years after his death.
He was an early adopter of mass production techniques for sewing machines.
“A good sewing machine must be as reliable as a clock.”
