Bass, founded by William Bass in 1777, is one of the most successful brewing companies of all time. When the London Stock Exchange established the original FT 30 index in 1935, listing the top 30 UK companies, Bass was included in the list.

The company was also a pioneer of International brand marketing. The Bass Red Triangle was the first trademark to be registered under the UK’s Trade Mark Registration Act 1875, as trade mark number 1!

The 1875 Act came into effect on 1 January 1876 and that New Year’s Eve, a Bass employee saw the New Year in by queuing overnight outside the registrar’s office, in order to be the first to register a trademark when the office opened the next morning.

In fact, Bass, Ratcliff & Gretton Limited received the first two registrations, the first being the Bass Red Triangle for their pale ale, and the second the Bass Red Diamond for their strong ale.

Bottles of Bass with the Red Triangle logo have appeared in art and literature, perhaps most famously, featuring in over 40 paintings by Pablo Picasso who must have enjoyed the odd tipple.

It is one of the most distinctive, identifiable and historically significant logos and brands in the World. When Bass was taken over by Coors, one of the first things they did was to drop it. Doh!