1870

Zalmon G. Simmons built his first factory in Kenosha, Wisconsin. With the help of nine employees, Simmons originally manufactured wooden insulators and cheese boxes.

1876

Zalmon G. Simmons changed an entire industry with his decision to mass-produce woven wire mattresses.

1889

Spiral coil springs for woven mattresses were introduced. Simmons' innovative manufacturing process dropped the price of a woven wire mattress from $12 to 95 cents, enabling everyone to sleep much more comfortably.

1900

James Marshall of Simmons patented a wrapped coil spring. Because each one was made manually, the time and labor involved drove the cost so high that they could only be found on luxury liners such as the Titanic.

1912

Simmons introduced the Wall-A-Bed® bedding product, the predecessor to the well-known Murphy bed that Simmons produced for the Murphy Company.

1916

Simmons started its first national advertising campaign with a double-spread ad in the Saturday Evening Post.

1918

After World War I, Simmons introduced cotton felt mattresses.

1919

Simmons had acquired manufacturing plants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Elizabeth, Seattle and Atlanta.

1920

Simmons created a nationwide service-station program under which retail stores could only carry samples of Simmons products but the customer would receive direct delivery from the Simmons® warehouse within 24 hours.

1925

John Franklin Gail, Simmons' top engineer, designed a machine that would coil wire and insert it into fabric sleeves quickly and independently. Gail's Pocketed Coil® Spring Machine generated the unique independent Pocketed Coil® that formed the basis of Simmons® Beautyrest® mattress. Also that year, Simmons commissioned one of the first definitive sleep studies.

1927

Eleanor Roosevelt was featured in print advertising for Simmons® Beautyrest®. She continued to be an advocate through her radio show into the 1930's.

1929

Simmons used some of the most sensational testimonial advertising history, including gratis testimonials from such giants as Henry Ford, H.G. Wells, Thomas Edison, Guglielmo Marconi and George Benard Shaw.

1930

When the depression caused many families to give up their homes and double-up with others, Simmons launched a studio couch, which was an attractive piece of furniture by day and a comfortable piece of bedding by night.

1931

Dr. Harry M. Johnson released a Simmons commissioned study on sleep and sleep surfaces conducted at the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, using a motion picture camera and a device that recorded the number of times sleepers moved. On average sleepers changed their posture more than 35 times during an eight-hour night. Simmons' pioneering research formed the basis for modern-day sleep technology.

1941

During World War II, Simmons answered America's military demands by manufacturing 2,700 different items including parachutes and bazooka rockets.

1947

Simmons turned to glamour in advertising in the 1940's with advertisements including such movie stars as Dorothy Lamour and Maureen O'Hara.

1957

Simmons created its National Technological Center (NTC) in Munster, Indiana. It was a highly sophisticated engineering laboratory that was committed to developing products that helped consumers get better sleep.

1958

Simmons became the first mattress company to introduce the king and queen size mattresses. Years later, they were featured in Life magazine and other national publications.

1975

Simmons moved its headquarters to Atlanta, Georgia. Shortly after, its research and development team relocated to Norcross, Georgia to a building known as the Simmons Research Center (SRC).

1980

Simmons became the Official Bedding Supplier of the 1980 Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.

1995

Simmons launched the Simmons® BackCare® mattress. Designed to help keep proper spinal alignment, Simmons® BackCare® mattresses provide the sleeper with the proper support and comfort in all five zones of the body. The same year, Simmons introduced "The Bowling Ball Mattress ads to illustrate dramatically how the movement of one person on the mattress is less likely to disturb his or her partner on a Simmons® Beautyrest®. Also that year, the new Simmons Institute for Technology and Education (SITE) opened its doors.

1996

Simmons began working with famous sleep experts like Dr. James Maas, Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and the author of the best selling book "Power Sleep", and Dr. James Wellman, the director of one of the nation's largest sleep disorders clinic, to further its sleep research. That same year, Simmons became the Official Bedding Supplier of the 1996 Centennial Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

2000

Simmons celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Beautyrest® line by introducing a no-flip, no-rotate product line, and providing choice to the consumer with the Motion Separation Index.

2001

Simmons introduces the first new mattress size in 42 years. The Olympic® Queen mattress was developed to be a full six inches larger – that's 10% more sleeping space - than a queen size mattress, but made to fit on a traditional queen frame. It's ideal for those people who want more elbow room than a queen size mattress provides, but don't want a king, either because they don't have room, don't want to buy new bedroom furniture or simply don't prefer it.

2001

Simmons announced the revolutionary Pocketed Cable Coil™ design. Select mattresses feature these Pocketed Cable Coil™ springs alternating with our classic Pocketed Coil® springs. The result is a mattress that helps you sleep luxuriously undisturbed, night after night with a higher Motion Separation Index and more durability.

2004

Simmons also introduced HealthSmart™ Bed, the best mattress for a clean and healthy sleep environment. Now you can wash away stains, germs, bacteria, dust mites, odors, and perspiration just like when you clean your sheets.™