\chapter{Backgound}
\section{1920s - The Story Begins}
\begin{description}
\item[October 16th, 1923]
  The Alice Comedies Created
  Walter E. qnd Roy O. Disney establish the Disney Brothers Studio in a contract with M.J. Winkler for a series of animated short subjects entitled The Alice Comedies.

\item[November 18th, 1928]
  Steamboat Willie Debuts
  Mickey and Minnie Mouse debut in Steamboat Willie, Disney's first animated film with sound effects and dialogue.

\item[December 16th, 1929]
  Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. Formed
  The Disney Brothers partnership is replaced by Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.; Walt Disney Enterprises; Liled Realty and Investment Company; and the Disney Film Recording Company.
\end{description}

\section{1930s - The First Characters Are Created}
\begin{description}
\item[December 21st, 1937]
  Premiere of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first feature-length animated film, premieres accompanied by the first comprehensive merchandise campaign.
\item[September 29th, 1938]
  Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. Consolidates
  Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. absorbs the three other Disney companies created in 1929.
\end{description}

\section{1940s - The Company Moves To Burbank, CA}
\begin{description}
\item[May 6th, 1940]
  Walt Disney Productions Moves to Burbank
Walt Disney Productions, Ltd. completes its move to its new studio lot in Burbank, California from Hollywood.
\end{description}

\section{1950s - Broadcasting On Television}
\begin{description}
\item[December 16th, 1952]
  WED Enterprises Founded
  WED Enterprises is founded as a private company owned solely by Walt Disney to design and create Disneyland.

\item[April 6th, 1953]
  Retlaw Enterprises Founded
Retlaw Enterprises is founded as a private company solely by Walt Disney to control the merchandising rights to the name "Walt Disney".

\item[November 10th, 1953]
    Premiere of The Living Desert
    Walt Disney Productions' Buena Vista Pictures Distributions distributes its first film, "The Living Desert".

  \item[Octocber 27th, 1954]
  Disneyland Television Series Debuts on ABC
  Disneyland, a one-hour weekly television series that ultimately aired for 29 seasons under six different titles, debuts on ABC.

\item[July 17th, 1955]
  An American Original
  Disneyland first opens its gates in Anaheim, California. Walt Disney Productions invests \$500,000 to own 34.5 percent of Disneyland, Inc., the company that owns Disneyland.

\item[October 3rd, 1955]
  The Mickey Mouse Club Airs on ABC
The Mickey Mouse Club first airs on ABC.

\item[June 19th, 1957]
  Walt Disney Productions Exercises Disneyland Options
Walt Disney Productions, Inc. exercises options to purchase an additional 31.0 percent in Disneyland, Inc. for \$528,810.
\end{description}

\section{1960s - Consolidation Of The Company}
\begin{description}
\item[July 6th, 1960]
  Walt Disney Productions Purchases Remaining Stake in Disneyland
  Walt Disney Productions, Inc. purchases the remaining 34.5 percent interest in Disneyland, Inc. for \$7.5 million.

\item[February 3rd, 1965]
  Walt Disney Productions Consolidates Again
  Walt Disney Productions acquires WED Enterprises from Walt Disney for approximately \$4 million.

\item[December 15th, 1966]
    The Passing of a Legend
    Walt Disney dies.
\end{description}

\section{1970s to mid-1980s - Extension And Acquisition}
\begin{description}

\item[October 1st, 1971]
  Walt Disney World Opens
  The Magic Kingdom opens at Walt Disney World.

\item[December 20th, 1971]
  Another Legend Passes
  Roy O. Disney dies.

\item[July 8th, 1981]
  Walt Disney Name Acquired
  Walt Disney Productions acquires the rights to Walt Disney's name, likeness and portrait, as well as the steam train and monorail systems at Disneyland, from Retlaw for 888,461 shares of common stock, worth \$46.2 million.

\item[October 1st]
  1982: Epcot Debuts at WDW
  Epcot opens at Walt Disney World.

\item[April 1st, 1983]
  Walt Disney Pictures Incorporates
  Walt Disney Pictures is incorporated as a separate entity responsible for the development, production and marketing of all live-action films and commercial television programming.

\item[April 15th, 1983]
  Tokyo Disneyland Opens
  Tokyo Disneyland opens six miles from downtown Tokyo.

\item[April 18th, 1983]
  The Disney Channel Debuts
  The Disney Channel first broadcasts cable programming.

\item[March 6th, 1984]
  First Touchstone Picture Makes a Splash
  Touchstone Pictures Releases its first film, Splash.

\item[June 8th, 1984]
  Hostile Take-Over Announced
  MM Acquisition Corporation announces its intent to take over and dismantle Walt Disney Productions by offering \$67.50 a share for Disney common stock.
\end{description}

\section{Late 1980s - The Company Starts To Expand Around The World}
\begin{description}
\item[September 22nd, 1984]
  Disney Enters a New Era
  Walt Disney Productions welcomes Michael D. Eisner as chairman and chief executive officer and Frank G. Wells as president and chief operating officer.

\item[February 6th, 1986]
  Walt Disney Productions is Re-named
  Walt Disney Productions changes its name to the Walt Disney Company.

\item[March 28th, 1987]
  The Disney Store Debuts
  The first Disney Store opens at the Glendale Galleria in Glendale, California.

\item[January 21st, 1988]
  Wrather Corporation Acquired
The Walt Disney Company acquires the Wrather Corporation, the assets of which include the Disneyland Hotel, for approximately \$161 million in cash and \$89 million in debt.

\item[May 1st, 1989]
  Disney-MGM Studios and Pleasure Island Premiere at WDW
The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park and the Pleasure Island entertainment complex open at Walt Disney World.

\item[November 6th, 1989]
  Euro Disney SCA Shares Offered
  51.00 percent of Euro Disney S.C.A.'s 170 million shares are offered to European investors at FF72 per share. A subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company owns the remaining 49 percent.
\end{description}

\section{1990s - The Company Becomes Worldwide And It Diversifies}
\begin{description}
\item[November 1st, 1990]
  First International Disney Store Opens
  The first international Disney Store opens on London's Regent Street.

\item[May 6th, 1991]
  The Walt Disney Company Joins the Cow
  The Walt Disney Company replaces USX Corporation in the Dow Jones 30 industrials.

\item[April 12th, 1992]
  Disneyland Paris Opens
  Euro Disney (later renamed Disneyland Paris) opens 20 miles outside of Paris, France.

\item[December 9th, 1992]
  The Mighty Ducks Franchise Begins
  The National Hockey League awards Disney a franchise that would later become the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

\item[June 30th, 1993]
  Miramax Films Acquired
  The Walt Disney Company acquires Miramax Film Corporation.

\item[June 24th, 1994]
  The Lion King Debuts in Theaters
  Walt Disney Pictures releases The Lion King, which becomes Disney's most profitable film ever.

\item[September 6th, 1994]
  Disney Theme Parks Pass a Milestone
  Disney theme parks welcome their one-billionth guest.

\item[October 20th, 1994]
  Euro Disney S.C.A. Refinanced
  The Walt Disney Company sells a portion of its shares in Euro Disney S.C.A., operator of Disneyland Paris, reducing its ownership interest to 39 percent.

\item[July 31st, 1995]
  Disney Announces its Intention to Buy Cap Cities/ABC
  The Walt Disney Company announces its intention to acquire  Capital Cities/ABC for approximately \$19 billion.

\item[February 9th, 1996]
  Disney Completes Acquisition of ABC
  Disney completes the acquisition of ABC as approved by stockholders of both Disney and Capital Cities/ABC in their respective special meetings of shareholders held in January in New York City.

\item[February 22nd, 1996]
  Disney.com Launched
  Disney Online launches Disney.com to provide interactive online access to a wealth of Disney information and services.

\item[May 15th, 1996]
  Disney and California Angels Team Up
  Disney forms a partnership with the California Angels baseball team, and later becomes the sole owner ot the team.

\item[May 22nd, 1996]
  Disney Debuts on 5th Avenue
  The world's largest Disney Store to date, at 40,000 square feet, opens on New York's Fifth Avenue and sets the all-time record for single-day volume in a Disney Store.

\item[May 23rd, 1996]
  Disney and McDonald's to Partner
  Disney joins McDonald's in a 10-year multinational marketing alliance linking 18,700 McDonald's restaurants to Disney's theme parks and film and home video releases.

\item[November 1st, 1996]
  ESPNEWS Debuts
  ESPN, Inc. launches ESPNEWS, a 24-hour-a-day sports news network.

\item[November 18th, 1996]
  Radio Disney Premieres
  Radio Disney, a live, music-intensive radio network for children debuts, offering fun, high-energy entertainment and family-oriented programming for kids under the age of 12.

\item[January 28th, 1997]
  E! Has Entertainment Launch
  Comcast Corporation and ABC Cable Networks agree to form a new organization to acquire a majority interest in E! Entertainment Television.

\item[February 24th, 1997]
  Disney and Pixar join Forces
  Disney announces an agreement with Pixar to create five animated films over the next 10 years including A Bug's Life (1998), Monsters, Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), The Incredibles (2004) and Cars (2005).

\item[April 3rd, 1997]
  Disney Purchases Stakes in Starwave Corporation
  Disney purchases a significant equity stake in Starwave Corporation, a leading producer of Internet media, and assumes operational control of the company.

\item[April 4th, 1997]
  Knight-Ridder, Inc. Buys ABC Newspapers
  Knight-Ridder, Inc. announces an agreement with Disney to purchases four newspapers owned by ABC, Inc. for \$1.65 billion.

\item[September 3rd, 1997]
  ESPN Acquires Classic Sports Network
  ESPN reaches an agreement to acquire Classic Sports Network, which features the greatest games, heroes and stories in the history of sports.

\item[November 13th, 1997]
  The Lion King: The Broadway Musical Premieres
  The Lion King: The Broadway Musical debuts on Broadway in the newly- refurbished New Amsterdam Theatre. The Lion King goes on to win six Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Director - Musical and Best Costuming.

\item[April 22nd, 1998]
  Disney's Animal Kingdom Opens its Gates
  Disney's Animal Kingdom, the fourth gate at Walt Disney World, opens.

\item[July 30th, 1998]
  Disney Cruise Line Launches
  Disney Magic Departs on its maiden voyage. Disney's second cruise ship, Disney Wonder, launches the following summer.

\item[November 18th, 1998]
  Infoseek Acquisition Completed
  Disney completes its acquisition of a 43 percent equity interest in Infoseek, a leading Internet navigation company, and Infoseek purchases Starwave from Disney.

\item[July 8th, 1999]
  ABC Entertainment Television Group Created
  Walt Disney Television Studio, including Buena Vista Television Productions, and ABC's Prime Time Division join forces and become ABC Entertainment Television Group.

\item[November 2nd, 1999]
  Hong Kong Disneyland Project Announced
  Disney announces it will partner with the Hong Kong SAR Government to develop Hong Kong Disneyland, scheduled to open in 2005/2006.
\end{description}

\section{2000s - The Empire Is Still Expanding}
\begin{description}
\item[January 24th, 2000]
  SOAPnet Debuts
  SOAPnet, the new Disney/ABC Cable Network's 24-hour soap channel, launches.

\item[September 20th, 2000]
  Disney and Hasbro, Inc. Form Alliance
  Disney and Hasbro, Inc. announce a multi-year corporate alliance encompassing the licensing of Disney film and television properties, and an array of creative initiaves at Disney's theme parks and resorts.

\item[November 6th, 2001]
  Disney Thinks Einstein is a Good Match
  The Walt Disney Company acquires The Baby Einstein Company, the award-winning creator of highly innovative media products, toys and books for babies and toddlers.
  The Baby Einstein Company, founded in 1996, develops and sells products that expose babies to various forms of humans expression - labguage, poetry, music, art and science, through ways nurturing and fun.

\item[January 11th, 2002]
  Disney and Kellogg's Join to Start the Day Off Right
  Kellogg's and Disney launch three new breakfast cereals - Mickey's Magix, Buzz Blasts and Hunny Bs. The debut represents the largest cereal launch since 1979, with more volume shipped in the first quarter than other
  successful competitive brands launch in the course of one year.

\item[September 30th, 2002]
  Internet group Breaks Even
  The Walt Disney Internet Group's operations reach the break-even mark.
\end{description}