TIMELINE - History of Monsanto

(Reuters) - Over its 108-year history, Monsanto Co, the world's largest seed company, has evolved from primarily an industrial chemical concern into a pure agricultural products company.

Following is a timeline of the St. Louis, Missouri-based company's history.

* 1901 - Founded as a maker of saccharine by John F. Queeny and named after his wife, Olga Monsanto Queeny.

* 1920s and 1930s - Manufacturers sulphuric acid and other chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are later implicated in reproductive, developmental and immune system disorders.

* 1940s - Manufactures plastics and synthetic fabrics

* 1960s - Establishes agricultural division with focus on herbicides.

* 1962-1971 - Becomes one of principal companies supplying herbicide known as Agent Orange to U.S. military for use in Vietnam War. Agent Orange is later linked to various health problems, including cancer.

* 1976 - Commercializes Roundup herbicide, which goes on to be a top seller around the world.

* 1982 - Some 2,000 people are relocated from Times Beach, Missouri, site of a Monsanto PCB plant, after area is contamination with PCB by-product dioxin.