Founders

In 1919, General Electric founded the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) to promote international radio. General Electric used RCA as its division to sell radios until 1930, when it was spun off from General Electric. RCA itself quickly became an industrial giant.

General Electric has a long history of working with turbines in the field of power generation. The company introduced the first turbochargers during World War I and continued to develop them during the interwar period, so they became essential in the years leading up to World War II. General Electric also worked on Frank Whittle's designs during the war and introduced Whittle's jet engines to the United States in the 1940s. This led to the founding of GE Aviation, now the world's largest engine manufacturer, second only to Rolls-Royce plc of Great Britain, which pioneered the design and manufacture of reliable, innovative, and efficient engines.