Many Store Unique Stories, History of 10 Famous Brands in the World

Dream - Many brands that we still often use have been around for decades. The history behind the emergence of these brands also store many unique stories.

There are also many brands that used to produce very different products from what they produce now. These stories can be an inspiration for entrepreneurs. Here are 10 famous brands in the world.

Sharp

The name Sharp, which means 'sharp', is taken from the first item that the brand introduced, namely mechanical pencils. The company, built in 1915 by Hayakawa Tokuji, applied for a patent for the always sharp pencil. At that time, he was only 21 years old. Its sales at that time were a great success.

However, the Great Kanto earthquake that occurred in 1923 damaged the stationery factory. Tokuji then sold the patent for the pencil to pay off his debts. He continued to produce pencils in Osaka afterwards. In the following years, he started making radios. At the time of his death in 1981, Sharp was already known as a famous electronics company.

Nokia

This Finnish company is well-known for its mobile phones. However, in reality, the company did not start its business by producing mobile phones, but as a paper manufacturer.

Nokia started its business in 1865 by a man named Fredrik Idestam. Fredrik was very confident that the consumer demand for pulp or paper pulp would increase, so he opened a second factory called Nokia AB on the banks of the Nokianvirta River. The development experienced by Nokia made it start producing other products, such as rubber, forestry, and electronic goods such as cables and generators. Nokia entered the mobile phone industry when European telecommunications industry deregulation was introduced in the 1980s.

Nokia then became the initiator of the first fully digital telephone conversation in Europe in 1982. The company continued to grow and produce many popular mobile phone models at that time.

Apple

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, had a favorite fruit, which is an apple. Who would have thought that the fruit that became the name of his company now dominates the mobile phone market. Steve Wozniak, as one of the founders, once tried using other names like 'Executex' and 'Matrix Electronic', but the name 'Apple' remained their favorite.

Canon

This company, which produces optical, imaging, and industrial products, was originally named Precision Optical Instrument. Founded in 1934, the company changed its name to Kwanon in the same year it was founded. The name means a company that works with sophisticated equipment to produce top-class products. Kwanon is taken from the name of a forgiving goddess in Buddhism.

Asus

The name Asus is taken from Pegasus, the flying horse in Greek mythology. The name signifies strength, purity, and adventurous spirit, just like Pegasus.

But there is another unique reason why this company only takes the word 'Asus' from the word 'Pegasus', which is to place them at the beginning of the company list because their company name starts with the letter 'A'.

Bluetooth

The name of this company is taken from the name of a Danish king in the late 10th century, Harald Blatand, who was nicknamed Harald Bluetooth in England. The nickname was given because his teeth were dark blue. At that time, Harald succeeded in uniting warring tribes, including tribes in the Norwegian and Swedish regions.

His ability to unite tribes is similar to the usefulness of Bluetooth, which is as a connector for various devices, such as computers and mobile phones. The Bluetooth logo is taken from 2 analogous German letters, namely the letters H and B, symbolizing the name Harald Bluetooth.

Nintendo

Instead of producing video games, this company originally sold handmade cards. Nintendo means 'leaving luck to heaven'. In 1953, Nintendo became the first company in Japan to produce playing cards made of plastic.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nintendo was forced to enter the electronic video game market to survive. Their first video game console was the 'Magnavox Odyssey'. The game brought their name up.

Suzuki

Who would have thought that this famous automotive company started its business by selling pedal-powered weaving machines. As the name suggests, the founder of this company is Michio Suzuki. He produced machines made of wood under the Suzuki Loom Works.

His creative products were in high demand, so he exported them. However, the demand for his products decreased. Suzuki then considered entering the automotive world, seeing that in Japan at that time, many people used imported cars but the market demand was not satisfied. Suzuki successfully created his first car prototype based on the European car, Austin Seven, in 1938.

Volvo

The name of this popular company is taken from the Latin word 'Volvere', which means 'I roll'. The name is not intended to mean a rotating wheel, but rather signifies a ball bearing machine. This Swedish company originally produced ball bearings for AB SKF between 1915 and 1924.

However, the company later shifted to become a car manufacturer. It took 3 years until the first Volvo car was successfully made in Hisingen, Gothenburg. The car became the beginning of this company's fame and worldwide recognition.

Samsung

Initially, Samsung was a small trading company that sold dried fish, noodles, and local food. The company was founded in 1938 by Lee Byung-Chull under the name Samsun Sanghoe. As it grew, the company moved to Seoul in 1947.

However, the Korean War at that time forced Lee to move from Seoul. He then started a sugar refining business in Busan. Samsung continued to try its luck in various industries and entered the electronics market in the 1960s. Now, the company has become the second largest information technology company in the world, based on revenue in 2015.

Report: Erdyandra Tri Sandiva