This Month in History: Minuteman missile silo contract
A cutaway view of a Minuteman missile site. Johnson Service Company controls were centered in the environmental control room, upper left.
Sept. 21, 1964: Johnson Service Company wins Minuteman missile silo contract
On Sept. 21, 1964, the Johnson Service Company (Johnson Controls' former name) announced that it was awarded the contract for Wing VI of the U. S. Air Force's Minuteman Missile Program. Under the contract, the company was to furnish and install automatic controls for complete air conditioning at each of the 150 Minuteman missile silos in the vicinity of the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota.
Because of the role played by the Minuteman in the country's defense network, each Johnson system was expected to operate for at least three years maintenance-free. The systems had to be able to withstand the strain of a missile launch and the jolt of a possible near-miss nuclear attack as well.
The systems had to be able to withstand the strain of a missile launch and the jolt of a possible near-miss nuclear attack as well.
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On July 22, 1977, the first barrel of oil from Alaska's Prudhoe Bay completed its 800-mile journey through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline to the Valdez Marine Terminal.
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On June 25, 1900, August H. Vogel, Amos A. L. Smith, and company founder Warren S. Johnson signed the Johnson Electric Service Company's (as Johnson Controls was then known) Articles of Association.
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In 1885, long before anyone talked about carbon footprints or climate change, Warren Johnson launched a company to explore new ways to harness and conserve precious energy resources.