Contact us English About What we do Investors Sustainability Careers News Suppliers Search Home About Our history Since 1851, we've been developing and contributing to industry, communities and economies around the world. Formed from a merger between BHP and Billiton, we value our heritage and the strong foundations on which our company is built. From two small mining companies founded in the mid-1800s, we are now a world leader in the diversified resources industry. Broken Hill Proprietary’s rich history began in a silver, lead and zinc mine in Broken Hill, Australia. Incorporated in 1885, BHP engaged in the discovery, development, production and marketing of iron ore, copper, oil and gas, diamonds, silver, lead, zinc and a range of other natural resources. BHP was also a market leader in value-added flat steel products. Billiton’s roots trace back to 1851 and a tin mine on a little known island in Indonesia, Billiton (Belitung) island. Billiton became a global leader in the metals and mining sector and a major producer of aluminium and alumina, chrome and manganese ores and alloys, steaming coal, nickel and titanium minerals. Billiton also developed a substantial and growing copper portfolio. The history of BHP and Billiton 1851 A Dutch party discovers tin at Billiton Island 1860 NV Billiton Maatschappij is established 1883 Charles Rasp discovers silver and lead at Broken Hill 1885 Broken Hill Proprietary Company Ltd is floated 1902 Invention of the flotation vessel 1906 Fire breaks out at BHP underground mine 1915 Newcastle Steelworks opened 1930 Billiton establishes a peoples fund 1934 Australian built military aircraft at Port Melbourne begin 1935 Establishment of first bauxite mine on Bintan Island 1939 The BHP fighter planes against the Japanese 1941 Ship building for the navy at Whyalla 1957 BHP opens Central Research Laboratories at Shortland, Newcastle 1963 BHP and Esso collaborate in search for oil 1968 Rich iron ore is developed at Mt. Newman 1970 Royal/Dutch Shell Group purchases Billiton 1984 BHP acquires Utah International from General Electric 1990 Escondida in Chile begins producing copper 1991 BHP discovers diamonds in Canada 1994 Billiton is acquired by Gencor 2000 BHP formally becomes BHP Limited 2001 BHP and Billiton reach agreement to merge 2001 BHP Billiton's Typhoon Oilfield commences production 2001 Antamina Copper-Zinc project achieves commercial production 2001 Significant oil discovery made offshore Trinidad 2002 Demerger of BHP Steel 2004 BHP Billiton approves Spence Copper Project 2004 BHP Billiton enters joint venture with China and Japan 2005 BHP Billiton acquires Western Mining Corporation 2005 First oil production from the Greater Angostura Field 2009 First oil and natural gas production from Shenzi 2010 First oil production commences from Pyrenees project 2010 Athabasca Potash in Canada acquired 2011 First gas commences from the Angostura Gas Project 2011 EKATI Spirit discovered 2012 BHP Billiton consolidates operations 2013 BHP Billiton invests in Jansen Potash Project 2013 Daunia Metallurgical Coal Mine opens in central Queensland 2013 First gas at Macedon gas project 2013 BHP Billiton moves into new global headquarters 2015 Demerger of South32 2016 BHP launches Prospects 2017 BHP approves extending life of Spence copper mine 2017 BHP launches Think Big brand campaign 2017 BHP and PEMEX sign agreement for oil discovery 2017 Yandi achieves one billion tonnes 2018 BHP approves South Flank project 1851 A Dutch party discovers tin at Billiton Island A Dutch party discovers tin at Billiton Island (Belitung) in the Dutch East Indies. The party is led by Vincent Gildemeester Baron van Tuyll van Serooskerken and John Francis Loudon. Their discovery is in a tropical region, surpassing Cornwall in England as the world's largest producer of tin. Watch the video Beyond the Surface: The History of BHP 30:17 Beyond the Surface: The History of BHP The history of BHP On 13 August 1885, the Broken Hill Proprietary Company Limited was formed. To celebrate the anniversary of this momentous occasion Beyond the Surface looks back at the milestone events and people that have shaped our Company. Explore a selection of publications and videos from our archives A Souvenir from Broken Hill (1912) Published in 1912, A Souvenir from Broken Hill is a collection of images from the early days of BHP by E. A. Archbald. Broken Hill Proprietary Recreation Review (1922) Read the first edition of BHP's newsletter, "Broken Hill Proprietary Recreation Review" from 1922. A Souvenir of Broken Hill (1935) Published in 1935, A Souvenir of Broken Hill is a collection of etchings from BHP by J.C. Goodhart. The BHP Review: Jubilee Edition (1935) In 1935, BHP published the jubilee edition of The BHP Review covering fifty years of industry and enterprise with a forward by Managing Director, Essington Lewis. 100 Years of Growing with Australia (1985) A special tribute to mark 100 years of achievement of the Big Australian. Australians in Company (1985) In 1985, published Australians in Company celebrating one hundred years of achievements with a forward by Chairman James Balderstone. The Iron Ships (1992) A maritime history of BHP (1885 - 1992). In 3 Minutes (1992) In 1973, an employee had a great idea, figuring out what we could produce in three minutes. In 1992, we repeated the work and saw just how much the company had grown. Professor Geoffrey Blainey on the history of BHP Listen to Australian historian and academic, Professor Geoffrey Blainey, speak about the history of BHP and Billiton. © BHP 2021 About What we do Investors Sustainability Careers News Suppliers Contact us Keep in touch Follow BHP to stay up to date https://www.facebook.com/BHP https://www.linkedin.com/company/bhp/ https://www.twitter.com/BHP https://www.youtube.com/BHP Privacy Policy Modern Slavery Act Statement Terms of use Some cookies are strictly necessary for the operation of our website. We also use cookies to monitor your use of our website, compile aggregate data and provide you with a good experience when you browse our website. You can choose to accept or reject cookies, or manage your specific cookie options. For more detailed information on what cookies are and how they work, please read our Cookies Policy. Manage cookies Decline All Accept Cookie Preferences