In 1978 Johnson Controls began to branch out, acquiring Globe-Union, a Wisconsin producer of automotive batteries.

FORBES: Control Freaks

There are now more than 4, 000 national parks around the globe, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

BBC: Birth and spread of the world��s national parks

Worldwide mail volumes are expected to grow less than 1% a year through 2008, says the Universal Postal Union, which oversees the globe's flow of mail.

FORBES: Delivery Problems