A Kmart timeline
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January 22, 2002: 10:42 a.m. ET
A look at important events in the retailer's history.
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NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Kmart Corp. filed for protection from creditors Tuesday as the nation's No. 2 discounter became the biggest retailer to file for bankruptcy in the United States.
Following is a brief history of the 103-year-old company.
1899 - Sebastian S. Kresge founds S.S. Kresge Co.
1918 - S.S. Kresge Co. becomes publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
1966 - Sales top $1 billion. S.S. Kresge runs 915 stores, including 162 Kmarts.
1972 - Company moves headquarters to Troy, Mich.
1977 - S.S. Kresge Co. changes its name to Kmart Corp (KM: Research, Estimates).
1984 - Kmart purchases Walden Book Co. and Home Centers of America.
1987 - Kmart starts relationship with Martha Stewart as spokeswoman and consultant.
1990 - Buys sporting goods chain The Sports Authority.
1991 - Acquires 90 percent of OfficeMax.
1992 - Buys book retailer Borders Inc.
1994 - Completes initial public offerings of 70 percent of The Sports Authority (TSA: Research, Estimates) and 75 percent of OfficeMax (OMX: Research, Estimates).
1995 - Spins off Borders Group Inc. (BGP: Research, Estimates) and sells remaining stake in The Sports Authority and OfficeMax.
2000 - Charles Conaway replaces Floyd Hall as chairman and CEO.
2001 - Buys its BlueLight.com Internet service.
Jan. 22, 2002 - Kmart files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
-- Source: Kmart's Web site
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