Tappan is a brand of appliances, named after company founder W. J. Tappan. Tappan claimed several innovations: 1930s all-porcelain range available in various colors 1955 the first compact (24") microwave oven 1960s electric ignition for gas ranges 1965 single-unit conventional range and microwave oven History In 1881, Tappan appliances was founded by W.J. Tappan as the Ohio Valley Foundry Company in Bellaire, Ohio, initially selling cast-iron stoves door-to-door. In 1889, the company relocated to Mansfield, Ohio, and was renamed the Eclipse Stove Company, when Tappan's father, who was an amateur astronomer, suggested the name after traveling to Siberia to view a comet. However, due to the existence of another Eclipse Stove Company that was not affiliated with Tappan's company, the company was renamed the Tappan Stove Company in the 1920's. In 1950, Tappan acquired the Los Angeles-based O'Keefe & Merritt Stove Company and used the O'Keefe & Merritt name in the western United States from then until the late 1980s. In 1978, Carl Icahn in his first takeover attempt took a controlling stake in Tappan and forced the sale of the company to Electrolux In 1979, European-based AB Electrolux (which had purchased Eureka five years prior) purchased the Tappan Stove Company. Seven years later, AB Electrolux purchased White Consolidated Industries, which manufactured Frigidaire, White-Westinghouse, Gibson Appliance, and Kelvinator products, and combined its Tappan holdings with these new products to create the WCI Major Appliances Group. In 1991, the WCI Major Appliances Group simply became known as the Frigidaire Company, based in Dublin Ohio. In 1997, the North American division of Electrolux was reorganized as Electrolux Home Products of North America, consolidating American Yard Products, Frigidaire, and Poulan/Weedeater. References External links Tappan History home page on Internet Archive Home appliance manufacturers of the United States 1979 mergers and acquisitions Manufacturing companies based in Ohio Electrolux brands American companies established in 1881 American companies disestablished in 1997 1881 establishments in Ohio 1997 disestablishments in Ohio