Fireman's Fund's first policy, written in 1863, insured half the interest in 1,000 kegs of Boston molasses syrup, with a premium of a $12 cash advance, a sum that would be worth more than $200 today.

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed insurance companies that couldn't stand the financial heat of a tragedy that cost hundreds of human lives and nearly $100 million in property losses. According to company spokesman Paul Fuegner, although Fireman's Fund's share of the loss exceeded all the company's available assets, each claimholder received 50 cents cash on-hand, plus an IOU with interest, from the insurer within 60 days of the fire.

The company was shaken once again when its headquarters crumbled during the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906, but Fireman's Fund used a combination of cash and stock to pay its unprecedented policyholder claims.

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Fireman's Fund underwrote some of the earliest movies with sound in the 1920's, such as the swashbuckling Douglas Fairbanks Sr. films, and has since put its stamp on classics like Lassie, Mutiny on the Bounty, Spartacus, Top Gun, and The Lord of the Rings.

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When Charles Lindbergh took off in the Spirit of St. Louis in 1927, flying more than 33 hours from New York to Paris, the risky but groundbreaking flight was insured by Fireman's Fund.

The Golden Gate Bridge was completed in San Francisco in 1937 with the help on a Fireman's Fund surety bond. In true risk management practice, hard hats were first developed for construction workers during the building of this bridge.

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In 1970, Fireman's Fund wrote a $10 million policy on a national tour of the Apollo II Space Capsule, bringing a piece of the moon down to man.

When the Statue of Liberty began a two-year renovation in 1984, Fireman's Fund issued a $95 million all-risk policy against her exposure to fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism and other physical damage.

On July 4, 2011, Lori Fouché became the chief executive officer of Fireman's Fund, the first African-American woman to serve as the CEO of a top property and casualty insurance company in the United States.

In 2006, Fireman's Fund combined its three sustainable-building insurance policies into one policy for real estate customers, which insures a building's existing 'green' features, pays for a green upgrade investment, and pays to recalibrate the efficiency of heating, plumbing and electric systems.