ARMONK, N.Y., June 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- IBM (NYSE: IBM) today is marking the 100th anniversary of its founding on June 16, 1911. To celebrate the milestone, the company is releasing a book, "Making the World Work Better: The Ideas That Shaped a Century and a Company," debuting a new film, " Wild Ducks ," and ringing the Opening Bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

During its first century, IBM has played a leading role in transforming business, science and society. The company's history can be seen as a succession of key milestones - from investing in a research lab in the depths of the Great Depression, to developing the first hard disk drive that created the data storage industry, to working with the U.S. government to develop the Social Security System. It continued with such "big bets" as a radical new computing model, the System/360 mainframe; the invention of the UPC code; the invention of the IBM Personal Computer that launched the PC revolution; and the recent development of Watson, the computer that triumphed on the TV game show Jeopardy!.

Chairman of the Board, President and CEO Samuel J. Palmisano identified the key lesson IBM has learned over 100 years: In order to succeed for the long term, you must manage for the long term.

"For IBMers, long-term thinking means continually moving to the future," he said. "IBM has survived and thrived for 100 years by remaining true to our core values, while being ready to change everything else. This has allowed us to transform technology, business and society through our first century, and we believe it will enable us to achieve even more in our second."

One of the oldest living IBM alumni, Luis A. Lamassonne is 105 years old and resides in Miami, Florida. He joined IBM in 1933 and worked at the company for 38 years, rising to become an executive in Latin America. Reflecting on IBM's Centennial today, Lamassonne said, "IBM has always been one of the best companies. The company is special because of the people. I have faith that IBM will survive for many more years, for another century."

Series of IBM Centennial Initiatives Planned

IBM will use its Centennial to engage with business leaders, academia, clients and local communities in the 170 countries the company does business through a year-long initiative. IBM Centennial celebration highlights include:

    --  Book -- IBM is releasing a business book entitled, "Making the World
        Work Better: The Ideas That Shaped a Century and a Company." Written by
        award-winning journalists Steve Hamm, Kevin Maney and Jeffrey M.
        O'Brien, the book chronicles the ways the world has changed over the
        past century in technology, business and the way progress happens, and
        the role IBM has played in these changes.
    --  Films - IBM is debuting short films throughout the year to celebrate the
        company's corporate culture and innovations. IBM is debuting "Wild
        Ducks," a tribute to IBM clients who have defied conventional wisdom
        through new approaches to building their businesses. They include Howard
        Shapiro, chief scientist at the Mars Corporation, and Sunil Mittal,
        founder and CEO of Bharti Enterprises, the largest telecom company in
        India. "Wild Ducks" was directed by Davis Guggenheim, an Oscar® winner
        for the documentary "An Inconvenient Truth." The new film follows two
        other IBM Centennial films this year: "100 x 100" - a fast-paced,
        year-by-year chronicle of IBM's history, and "They Were There," which
        explores significant moments in IBM history told through first-person
        accounts by key innovators, including the invention of the UPC code,
        helping to put a man on the moon, and developing the Personal Computer.
    --  Celebration of Service -- Throughout the year, IBM employees worldwide
        will significantly increase service in their local communities. On June
        15, more than 300,000 IBM employees, retirees, their families and
        clients donated more than 2.5 million hours of service -- the equivalent
        of 850 years of service -- applying their business skills and work
        experience to address community challenges and societal needs.
        Additionally, the company is expanding its community service grants by
        140 percent over the previous year for not for profit organizations
        globally that partner with IBMers in their service activities.
    --  Icons of Progress -- IBM has curated 100 milestones that have shaped the
        company and the world in the last century - from the technology driving
        the Social Security System in the U.S., to the invention of the floppy
        disk, the creation of the first corporate science research laboratory,
        and the establishment of the Corporate Service Corps, a corporate
        version of the Peace Corps. Rich content and unique visual marks
        illustrate the 100 Icons of Progress. The list is being revealed
        throughout the year.
    --  IBM Colloquia -- Through a series of business and academic forums, IBM
        will convene key influencers to spur conversations about future advances
        in science and technology and how they will affect such fields as health
        care, the environment and the information technology (IT) industry. The
        colloquia will convene scientists, academics, business and government
        leaders at IBM Research laboratories around the world to discuss how
        emerging trends will impact business and society. IBM will hold events
        in Australia, Brazil, China, India, Israel, Japan, Switzerland and the
        United States.
    --  IBM Lecture Series - IBM is partnering with leading universities around
        the world to engage tomorrow's leaders in discussions on what 100 years
        has taught it about driving progress in business, technology and
        society. The series includes lectures by senior IBM executives at
        universities such as Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, HEC Paris in
        France, Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, and the University of
        Chicago in the U.S.
    --  THINK: A Forum on the Future of Leadership - In September, IBM will
        engage and convene 700 leaders at a forum in New York City to discuss
        the forces that are making our planet smarter and creating enormous
        potential for economic growth and societal progress. The company will
        explore the role of the modern corporation in realizing this potential,
        and it will examine how our model of leadership must evolve to meet the
        challenges of the 21st century across business, technology and society.

For more information on the IBM Centennial, visit www.ibm100.com.

Editors: Visit IBM's Centennial Press Room to obtain historical images, a snapshot of milestones and additional press releases on IBM's Centennial at www.ibm.com/press/ibm100

Participate in the social conversation by including #IBM100 in a tweet.

Registered journalists and bloggers can download b-roll about IBM's Centennial at www.thenewsmarket.com/ibm100

Photos are available on the Associated Press Photo Network and on the Internet at Feature Photo Service's link on Newscom at www.newscom.com

Contacts: Laurie FriedmanIBM+1-914-499- 4608Mobile: 1-914-715-6964Laurie1@us.ibm.com

Tara SucatoIBM+1-917-472-3701Mobile: 1-914-204-9758tjsucato@us.ibm.com

Joe HanleyIBM+44 (0)20 8844 6972Mobile: 44 (0)78 0350 2318hanleyj@uk.ibm.com

SOURCE IBM