A look at the history of consumer electronics retailer Circuit City Stores Inc.:
1949: Samuel S. Wurtzel opens first Wards Company retail store in Richmond, Va.
1961: Makes first public offering with Stein Brothers & Boyce Co. of Baltimore. Offers 110,000 shares at $5.375 per share (split adjusted, 2 cents per share).
1968: Moves from the over-the-counter market to the American Stock Exchange. Offers 1,700 shares at $19.75 per share (split adjusted, 55 cents per share).
1969-1982: Company acquires numerous electronics retailers and operates stores from New York to California.
1984: Company name changes to Circuit City Stores Inc.; Stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
1987: Sales reach the $1 billion mark for the fiscal year ending Feb. 28, 1987.
1989: First personal computers hit Circuit City store shelves.
1990: Sales reach the $2 billion mark for the fiscal year ending Feb. 28, 1990.
1993: Begins testing CarMax, a retail venture selling used vehicles.
1996: CarMax announces plans for national expansion of the concept.
1999: Circuit City launches Web site to offer online shopping; annual sales for Circuit City store businesses exceed $10 billion and annual sales for CarMax superstores exceed $2 billion.
2000: Circuit City exits the appliance business.
2002: Circuit City completes the separation of CarMax.
2003: The company rejects takeover bid from Mexican financier Carlos Slim Helu.
2004: Circuit City acquires Ontario-based consumer electronics retailer InterTAN Inc.
2005: Company rejects unsolicited $3.25 billion cash buyout offer from Boston investment firm Highfields Capital Management LP
2006: Circuit City launches Firedog, a PC services and home-installation business.
2007: Circuit City announces plans to explore strategic alternatives for InterTAN Inc.; lays off about 3,400 retail employees and replaces them with lower-paid workers.
April 2008: Dallas-based movie-rental chain Blockbuster Inc. makes public a more than $1 billion takeover bid for Circuit City with dreams of creating a huge chain that would sell electronic gadgets and rent movies and games.
May 2008: Circuit City’s board of directors authorizes the exploration of strategic alternatives to enhance shareholder value; Opens books to Blockbuster.
June 2008: Circuit City reaches agreement with shareholder Wattles Capital Management to nominate three directors, including James A. Marcum to its board to defuse proxy battle.
July 2008: Blockbuster withdraws takeover bid, citing market conditions.
August 2008: Marcum named vice chairman.
Sept. 22, 2008: Philip J. Schoonover steps down as Circuit City’s chief executive, chairman and president; Marcum named as interim president and chief executive.
Sept. 29, 2008: Circuit City withdraws its outlook for the full year and posts a wider second-quarter loss as sales fell 10 percent; Shares fall more than 20 percent.
Nov. 3, 2008: Circuit City says it will close 155 stores in 55 U.S. markets by Dec. 31, laying off about 17 percent of its domestic work force.
Nov. 7, 2008: Circuit City lays off about 700 employees at its headquarters.
Nov. 10, 2008: Circuit City files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Jan. 16, 2009: Circuit City announces plans to liquidate.
