Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes ProCon History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture Money Videos
Fortune Brands, Inc.
Table of Contents
Introduction References & Edit History
Discover
Thumbnail for flags that look alike quiz Russia, Slovenia, Iceland, Norway
Flags That Look Alike
An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.
11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
Los Angeles Police Department wanted flyer on Elizabeth Short, aka the "Black Dahlia," who was brutally murdered in January 1947. The FBI supported the Los Angeles Police Department in the case, including by identifying Short through her fingerprints that
America’s 5 Most Notorious Cold Cases (Including One You May Have Thought Was Already Solved)
Diverse elementary school children wearing school uniforms running outside of school. Boys girls
Pro and Con: School Uniforms
The Cheshire Cat is a fictional cat from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. (Alice in Wonderland)
11 Banned Books Through Time
Thanksgiving Celebration Traditional Dinner Setting Food Concept
Why Is Thanksgiving in the U.S. Celebrated on a Thursday?
Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 9th Mechanized Division learning to operate and maintain M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks at Besmaya Combat Training Center, Baghdad, Iraq, 2011. Military training. Iraq war. U.S. Army
8 Deadliest Wars of the 21st Century

Fortune Brands, Inc.

American industrial conglomerate
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Fortune-Brands-Inc
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

External Websites
Also known as: American Brands, Inc.
Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Article History

Fortune Brands, Inc., U.S. industrial conglomerate headquartered in Deerfield, Ill. Its corporate history began with the American Tobacco Co. (founded in 1890), which grew out of the tobacco business established in North Carolina by the Duke family (see James B. Duke) and which controlled the U.S. tobacco industry until it was broken up under antitrust laws in 1911. American Tobacco continued to sell such brands as Lucky Strike and Pall Mall. It changed its name to American Brands, Inc., in 1969. It began diversifying in the 1960s, and in 1994 the American Brands subsidiary American Tobacco was sold to a British conglomerate. In 1996 American Brands rid itself of its tobacco holdings and the following year changed its name to Fortune Brands, Inc., formally marking its departure from the tobacco industry. Fortune Brands subsidiaries included Jim Beam whiskey and Master Lock padlocks.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Jeannette L. Nolen.