3 of 6
BACKNEXT
Germany, 1955
Germany, 1955
The company -- renamed the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) in 1935 -- enjoyed success spurred on by World War I, the rise of automobiles, and petroleum-run factories during the `20s and `30s. In the early 1950s, conflict arose between Iran and the British driller. Unhappy with the AIOC's presence, Iran's elected premier Mohammad Mossadegh attempted to nationalize the production of oil. The CIA helped Britain throw a 1953 coup that removed Mossadegh from power. The two nations set up a pro-Western Shah to lead the country.

Afterwards, AIOC underwent another name change. In 1954, the company took on the alias -- British Petroleum Company (BP) -- in an attempt to shed its imperialist image and get a fresh start. However, the Middle East remained skeptical, heavily impacting future business in the region.

NEXT: Alaska, 1958
Last updated June 16 2010: 10:48 AM ET
More Galleries
5 biggest share buybacks of 2014 Stock repurchases are booming. These five companies are ready to spend over $79 billion on buybacks. More
10 horrifying corporate mascots McDonald's Happy is part of a long lineage of creatures great and small that shill for products and mortify consumers. Mr. Mucus, anyone? More
5 best cities to launch a career The top spots in the U.S. for new grads to land a job -- and actually enjoy life -- according to financial site WalletHub. More

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.