1974 - A fire at the Dutch repro house where DK's first three books had been sent threatens to bring the whole venture to a premature end, but the small, driven team that included Christopher Davis, one of DK's present Publishers, manages to salvage the situation and deliver all three books within their deadlines.

1975-1978 - DK moves to new offices in London's Covent Garden, home for the next 26 years, and produces the first eight titles, three of which go on to become million sellers. One of those, The Book of Photography by John Hedgecoe, was an instant success. It will be re-published by DK in 2003 in a new and updated format.

1978 - DK wins a major packaging contract with the Reader's Digest. This is the first time that outsiders have been commissioned to produce a book for The Reader's Digest. The resulting title Success With Houseplants appeared in 1979. The US print run exceeds 2 million copies. This initial contract is the start of a successful relationship between DK and the Reader's Digest, which lasts for several years.

1982 - DK becomes a publisher in the UK. DK triumphantly negotiates a contract to edit, design and produce a brand new first aid manual for the three voluntary aid societies: the Red Cross and its sister associations - the St John's Ambulance and the St Andrew's Ambulance. It is the first book to appear under the DK name, and is the only first aid title to be endorsed by all three associations. The use of photography and clarity of style make is instantly appealing and very popular. To date it has sold over 6.5 million copies in 45 countries and is now in its 8th edition.

1987 - Christopher Dorling retires; Reader's Digest buys 50% of the shares. DK launches the first children's list with the Windows on the World series. 1987 also sees Peter Kindersley asking himself a question that starts a revolution in children's non-fiction publishing: "Where are all the exciting books for kids?"

1989 - DK publishes The RHS Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. This publication begins another long standing and highly successful partnership. Since then, DK and the AHS, the world's leading horticultural organization, have created a large and varied range of encyclopedias and guides on every aspect of plants and gardening techniques. With this first title, and the subsequent ones, DK sets an unprecendented standard in gardening publishing.

1991 - After successfully packaging books in the US, DK Inc. is founded to publish DK's first titles in the US market. DK set up a number of new businesses: DK Multimedia; DK Vision in the area of broadcast and video; DK Family Learning brings DK products directly into homes and schools ensuring the DK brand reaches as many different social groups as possible.

DK prints 450,000 copies of Save the Earth in 17 languages for simultaneous publication at noon on 17th September 1991 across the world. This is conjunction with the United Nations Conference on Environmental Development in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.

1992 - DK is floated on the London Stock Exchange. It is one of the year's most successful floatations.

1993 - The DK Eyewitness Travel Guides are launched. The guides are a reinvention of the conventional travel guide. Full of color, they are unrivalled in quality, illustration and practicality. The initial four titles began a series that will have grown to 71 titles by 2001 with over 15 million sold worldwide. DK is voted Publisher of the Year at the British Book Awards.

1994 - DK Multimedia is launched as a publisher. Its first list of multimedia titles included David Macaulay's The Way Things Work. The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide series wins the Thomas Cook Guide Book Award.

1995 - DK acquires Henderson Publishing taking over the hugely popular Funfax series.

1996 - DK acquires the 112 year old Hugo Language Books Ltd adding useful titles to DK's reference publishing. Phrase books and dictionaries add a further dimension to the bestselling DK Eyewitness Travel Guide series. DK's natural history series Eyewitness, produced by DK Vision, is nominated for 2 categories in the 1996 Emmy Awards.

1997 - DK acquires Acacia (UK publisher of curriculum based Educational CD-ROMs) and this focus on education results in DK Multimedia being renamed DK Interactive.

1998 - Another successful partnership results in the first printing of 350,000 copies of the prestigious DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. This title sells especially well on the international market. Fall 1998 sees the publication of the 100th.

1999 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides win The Daily Telegraph Readers' Travel Awards Best Guide Books.

2000 - Pearson, the media group who own Penguin Books, acquire DK.

GSP (Global Software Publishing) gain the rights to publish, market, sell and distribute the English version of a range of former DK CD and DVD ROM titles; Macron software gain the rights to do the same for translated editions on a global basis.

Andrew Welham is appointed Global Managing Director, tasked to bring the various DK business around the world back into a coherent, dynamic, and profitable world business.

2001 - Bolstered by vigorous support from Penguin sales and marketing, DK is back in the business of delivering premium quality information books for all ages and interests. With the publication of Animal Dorling Kindersley firmly re-establishes itself as the pre-eminent publisher of family reference. On the children’s list The Ultimate Robot Kit is also highly successful, making learning about science interactive and fun for children.

2002 - An exciting year for DK with the publication of author-led titles such as Bill Wyman’s Rolling With The Stones, Supersex by Tracey Cox, and Matt Roberts’ Fitness For Life Manual. The children’s title A Life Like Mine is published in association with UNICEF, and the DK website is redesigned and relaunched to wide acclaim.

2003 - A year of big names, big brands, and big campaigns. Judith Miller follows the success of her Antiques Price Guide with the Collectibles Price Guide – also all in color. The illustrious Monty Don joins the gardening list with The Complete Gardener, and DK Eyewitness Travel Guides celebrate 10 years of great publishing. For children DK launches the first in a groundbreaking series of reference titles, the e.enyclopedia.

2004 - A strong list of home reference titles corresponds with DK’s 30th anniversary, illustrating a commitment to grow and renew publishing lines where DK has a strong market presence.

2005 - The publisher of Dorling Kindersley, Christopher Davis, who joined the original team at DK in 1974, retires. Gary June, an experienced publisher with strengths in sales, marketing and new business creation joins DK as CEO in July. Also, DK titles win various awards including the DK Eyewitness Travel Guides.