Iconic travel operator Thomas Cook folded today after a 178-year run. Here's a look back on its humble roots and long history.

Who was Thomas Cook? The company founder was a cabinet-maker in Leicestershire, England, who first foray into the travel industry began in June 1841. He believed social problems were due to alcohol, and suggested a special train to carry temperance supporters to a meeting 12 miles away, according to the Thomas Cook website.

The event was a success, and in the following years, Cook continued to arrange railway trips for temperance societies and Sunday schools, according to the site. He eventually expanded to publishing a handbook for journeys -- an early version of a travel guide.

The growing company: Cook organized trips from Yorkshire and the Midlands to London for the Great Exhibition of 1851 -- by the end of that season, he had taken 150,000 people to London. By 1855, he had begun escorting tourists to Europe, and by the end of his life he was organizing international trips to Egypt and Palestine, the site said.

Global expansion: Over the many decades to follow, the company expanded into hotels, resorts cruises and airlines, to name just a few of its endeavors, targeting Britain’s growing middle class. The brand became a major household name, along with its tagline -- "Don't just book it - Thomas Cook it!"