The first spark for Japan’s post-war economy was on this day in 1946 with the founding of the Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering company (or Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K.), later renamed Sony. There’s a lot of ground to cover in terms of its corporate history, all the way through its acquisition of CBS Records and Columbia Pictures, but the name itself is arguably the most interesting part of the story. Sony was chosen by its founders as a gambit for recognition in the global market—and the west, in particular—blending the Latin sonus and the nickname Sonny. (File under “similar but different”—the story behind Kodak’s name, reportedly chosen for its pronounceability in most languages.) Sony’s first product? The TR-55 transistor radio (pictured), which was the first of its kind to use miniature components, lending it a level of portability that portended the general thrust of the electronics industry toward smaller-is-better. Image: public domain.
NCPA
