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  The origin of "Sony"

The company name "Sony" was created by combining two words. One is 'sonus' in Latin, which is the root of the such words as 'sound' and 'sonic'. The other is 'sonny' meaning little son. The words were used to show that " Sony" is a very small group of young people who have the energy and passion toward unlimited creation.

  Establishment
1946 May

Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo K.K. (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation), also known as Totsuko, established in Nihonbashi, Tokyo with start-up capital of ¥190,000 for the research and manufacture of telecommunications and measuring equipment.

1947 Feb Company head office and factory relocated to Shinagawa Tokyo.

1950 -
1950 July Japan's first magnetic tape recorder, the G-Type, launched.
1954 May Sendai plant established in Tagajo, near Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.
(in April 1992 it was renamed Sendai Technology Center.)
1955 Aug

Totsuko listed on the OTC (over-the-counter) market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). Japan's first transistor radio, the TR-55, launched

1958 Jan. Company name changed to Sony Corporation.
  1960 -
1960 Feb. Sony Corporation of America established in the United States (presently Sony Electronics Inc.)
World's first transistor TV, the TV8-301, launched.
Atsugi plant established in Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture (renamed Atsugi Technology Center in August 1989).
Sony Overseas S.A. established near Zurich, Switzerland.
1961 June Sony became the first Japanese company to offer shares in the United States in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) on the OTC market of the New York Stock Exchange.
1962 Nov Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Ltd. Established in Hong Kong.
1963 July World's first compact transistor VTR, the PV-100, launched
1964 Sept. Osaki plant established in Shinagawa, Tokyo (renamed Osaki West Technology Center in June 1995).
  1970 -
1970 June Sony G.m.b.H. established in Cologne, Germany
(renamed Sony Deutschland G.m.b.H in June 1980).
1971 Oct. 3/4-inch u-matic color video cassette player, the VP-1100, launched
1973 Feb. Sony France S.A. established in Paris, France.
  1980 -
1982 Oct. World's first CD player, the CDP-101, launched
1984 Apr. High definition video system (HDVS) launched.
1985 Jan. 8mm camcorder, the CCD-V8, launched.
1986 Nov. Sony Europe G.m.b.H. established in Cologne, Germany. Operations commenced at Sony France audio and video products assembly and device plant in Colmar, Alsace, France.
1988 Jan. CBS Records Inc., the records group of CBS, acquired. It was renamed Sony Music Entertainment Inc. in January 1991.
  1990 -
1992 Nov MD system launched.
1993 Nov Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. established.
1994 Apr. New company structure introduced at Sony Corporation
1995 Dec Basic specifications of new industry format for high-density optical disc finalized, including new format name, DVD.
1996 May 50th anniversary of Sony Corporation.
1997 Apr.

Sony Marketing Co., Ltd. established.

  2000 -
2000 Mar. "Playstation 2" SCPH-10000 launched
2000 June Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz Berlin opened
2001 Apr. Sony Bank established in Japan
2002 Sept. Sony Dream World 2002 held in Yokohama

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