Trico

When a bicyclist and a National Roadster collided on a Buffalo, New York, street late one rainy night in 1917, it was an impact felt around the world. Although the cyclist was not seriously injured, the accident was enough to profoundly shake the driver of the car, Buffalo theatre owner J.R. Oishei. Vowing that such an accident should never happen again, Oishei was determined to improve the ability of drivers to see during bad weather.

The company Oishei formed, the Tri-Continental Corporation (later shortened to Tri-Co), introduced the first windscreen wiper, Rain Rubber, for the slotted, two-piece windscreens found on many of the popular automobiles of the time. Today, TRICO^® is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of windscreen wiper systems, wiper blades and refills, with plants on five continents.