2600 BC – The Ancient Egyptians use a form of roller bearings to help move massive bricks during construction of the Pyramids.
40 BC - Early example of a wooden ball bearing supporting a rotating table, was retrieved from the remains of a Roman ship in Lake Nemi, Italy.
1500 AD – Leonardo Da Vinci described a type of ball bearing.
1600 – Galileo describes caged ball bearing to prevent friction.
1794 – First patent for ball race by Phillip Vaughn of Carmarthen.
1866 – The Torrington Company (under the name Excelsior Needle Company) signs Article of Association to manufacture sewing machines needles and the machinery to produce the same
1880 – Rockwell Automation (under the name DODGE Manufacturing Company) incorporates, two years after Wallace H. Dodge began the manufacture of wood hardware specialties.
1883 – FAG begins grinding balls of equal size and roundness forming the creation of an independent bearing industry.
1898 – First patent issued for Timken Tapered roller bearings.
1907 – Sven Wingquist of SKF invents the modern self-aligning ball bearing
1912 – FAG originates single-row, barrel type, and spherical roller bearings
1913 - Hoover Steel Ball Company is founded by Leander J. Hoover in Ann Arbor, MI.
1916 - NSK inaugurated its business in 1916 and produced the first ball bearings made in Japan.
1917 – U.S. Bearing Manufacturers create an informal group to aid bearing manufacturing for World War I which led to the founding of ABMA.
1927 NTN Mfg. Co., Ltd. established with capital of 50,000 yen.
1928 – Fujikoshi Steel Industry Co, Ltd., (Nachi) was founded in Toyama City, Japan to manufacture cutting and machine tools.
1933 – Article of Incorporation ratified by United States bearing manufacturers to create AFBMA (Anti Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association.
1934 – AFBMA is incorporated as an organization in the state of New York.
1960 – Elasto-hydro-dynamic theory explains the mechanism of why bearings and gears work led to advances in grindings precision and ultrasonic equipment.
1969 –Three astronauts in a North American Rockwell "Apollo" spacecraft are launched by North American Rockwell rocket engines toward the moon.
1970 – Intel invents the microprocessor and consistent precision control of machine tools impacting both size and life of bearings.
1980’s – Torrington bearings are used in the Space Shuttle and robot arm to launch and retrieve satellites in orbit.
1992 – ABMA celebrates its 75th anniversary.
1993 –ABMA officially changes its name from the AFBMA (Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association).
1993 – Leading Bearing Manufacturers from throughout the World meet for the first time in Key Largo, Florida.
2001 – The Schaeffler Group (INA) acquires FAG.
2002 – Timken Company acquires Torrington Company impacting the global bearing market with a variety of bearing products including tapered roller bearings, needle roller bearings and alloy steels.
2006 – ABMA partners with the American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) for Joint Meeting in Tucson, AZ.
2006 – ABMA, the Japanese Bearing Industrial Association (JBIA) and the Federation of European Bearing Manufacturers Association (FEBMA) create the World Bearing Association (WBA) to focus on issues affecting the global bearing industry.