Establishment Based on the U.S. Justice Department's proposal, a
Philadelphia court approved a decree on June 13, 1912, that ordered the division of Du Pont Powder Company into three independent entities. The decision concluded an anti-monopoly case filed by the United States government against the company under the
Sherman Antitrust Act. These three new companies, which became independent companies and substantial competitors, were called
Hercules Powder Company, Atlas Powder Company, and the du Pont de Nemours Powder Company. Atlas was officially incorporated on October 18, 1912, in
Wilmington, Delaware.
Expansion Atlas Powder Company and Hercules competed with DuPont in the manufacture of dynamite and black powder. It purchased
Giant Powder Company in 1915, which continued to operate a production facility at
Point Pinole until 1960. During the years leading up to
World War I, it was also Britain and France's main supplier of explosives. It delivered 37 million pounds of
ammonium nitrate as well as acids and nitro cotton. Along with Hercules Powder Company and DuPont Company, Atlas Powder Company also supported the
Allied armies during
World War II. Employment at Atlas reached its greatest peak during this period, reaching 1,617 in 1947. ==Breakthroughs==