Our History
A 130-year Legacy of Safety
UL Research Institutes is one of three powerful UL organizations known as the UL enterprise which evolved from the historic Underwriters Laboratories organization founded in 1894. For more than 130 years, we’ve been guided by the mission: working for a safer world.
The World’s Fair Sparks an Idea
Underwriters Laboratories was born from the electrical safety inspection work carried out by our founder at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Our founder, William Henry Merrill Jr., a young electrical engineer, inspected many novel and unproven electrical installations that posed serious risks of shock and fire. The fair ran without a major electrical fire and helped demonstrate to the world that alternating current could be utilized safely. Today alternating current is still the basis of our modern power grid.
An Independent Laboratory Testing for Public Safety
Merrill’s work at the fair also proved the benefits of electrical safety testing. The fair was a watershed moment in the electrical age. About 160,000 bulbs illuminated the fairgrounds at night and the latest applications of electrical power were presented to the world. But who would assure the public that these electrical devices were safe?
With modest support from two regional fire insurance underwriters’ organizations, two employees, and $350 of equipment, Merrill started a small independent testing laboratory above a fire patrol station. On March 24, 1894, he conducted the first test of his Underwriters’ Electrical Bureau and the laboratory that grew to become UL was born.
UL: The Symbol of Safety
Merrill soon joined forces with a fellow engineer, William C. Robinson, working on automatic fire sprinkler research. Expanding beyond electrical safety to include fire suppression, and other public safety concerns, and quickly gaining recognition for their scientific rigorous testing and impartiality, the laboratory incorporated as Underwriters’ Laboratories in 1901.
Today, the initials of this organization, U.L., placed in a circle, form a certification mark that is one of the most recognized symbols of safety around the world.
More Than a Testing Lab – A Pioneer of Safety Research
More than a testing laboratory however, UL also became a respected force in public safety standardization and safety science research. As early as 1910, UL partnered with organizations such as the Factory Mutuals, National Bureau of Standards (NBS), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in a landmark study of the fire resistance of building columns, published in 1919. The Standard Time Temperature Curve for fire tests from this study is still in use today.
Research for Public Good
In 1937, UL formed a research division charged with investigating problems of general, rather than proprietary interests, and charged with conducting research and special investigations aligned with the organization’s mission.
The first issues of UL’s “Bulletins of Research” series were also published at this time and freely distributed to interested parties. This early commitment to open-access research remains one of UL Research Institutes’ values today.
Our Safety Research Powers the Future
Throughout the years, UL research ranging from smoke characterization studies, air and water quality research, and lithium-ion battery research continues to advance our mission and provide opportunities for creating a safer world.
More Stories on Our History
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