The AEG

The Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft (AEG) was founded in 1883 in Berlin by Emil Rathenau as the Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität. The company quickly earned a reputation for innovation in electrical engineering, partly due to engineer Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrowolsky, a pioneer of three-phase alternating current. In the early 20th century, AEG expanded into producing a wide range of electrical appliances and infrastructure, including lighting, trams, and household devices.

During World War II, AEG collaborated with the Nazi regime and benefited from forced labor by concentration camp prisoners. After the war, the company lost many of its assets in East Germany and moved its headquarters to Frankfurt am Main. In the 1960s, AEG merged with its subsidiary Telefunken, but in the 1970s it faced financial difficulties, leading to the sale of several divisions. In 1985, AEG was acquired by Daimler-Benz and fully integrated into the company in 1996, which ended the AEG name in the industrial sector.

Electrolux had earlier acquired the household appliances division and continues to use the brand name. AEG remains an iconic name in the history of electrical engineering and industrial innovation.