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Year	Developments at Sharp
1912	Tokuji Hayakawa establishes metalworking shop in Tokyo.
1915	Hayakawa mechanical pencil (later renamed Ever-Sharp Pencil) invented.
1923	Ever-Sharp Pencil factory destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake.
1924	Hayakawa Metal Works established in Nishitanabe, Osaka.
1925	Assembles Japan’s first crystal radio.
1929	Sales of AC vacuum-tube radios begin.
1934	Hirano Plant constructed in Osaka.
1935	Hayakawa Metal Works Institute Co. established (name changed to Hayakawa Metal Works Co. in 1936 and to Hayakawa Electric Industry Co., Ltd. in 1942).
1945	Second World Ward ends and the company begins rebuilding.
1949	Listed on Osaka Stock Exchange.
1950	Rides out unprecedented economic turmoil through hard work and cooperation.
1953	Begins mass production of TV sets for the first time in Japan.
1954	New TV plant constructed; opens “Ikutoku-en” nursery school.
1958	“Sharp Friend Shop” system begins.
1959	Yao Plant constructed in Osaka Prefecture as company moves to become comprehensive home electric and electronic manufacturer.
1960	Yamato-Koriyama Plant constructed in Nara Prefecture.
1962	Microwave oven mass-production begins; company’s first overseas sales base, Sharp Electronics Corporation (SEC), established in the US.
1963	Mass-production of solar cell modules begins; service company established (now Sharp Engineering Corporation).
1964	Develops world’s first all-transistor-diode electronic desktop calculator.
1965	“70 Strategy” introduced to strengthen distribution system; ATOM unit program launched.
1967	Hiroshima Plant constructed in Hiroshima Prefecture.
1968	Tochigi Plant constructed in Tochigi Prefecture.
1969	MI campaign launched.
1970	Company name changed to Sharp Corporation; Advanced Development and Planning Center constructed in Tenri, Nara Prefecture; Akira Saeki becomes President.
1972	Begins selling its first copier; Consumer Information Centers established throughout Japan.
1973	Introduces the world’s first COS pocket electronic calculator incorporating an LCD; “Sincerity and Creativity” adopted as Sharp’s business creed and philosophy.
1974	Tokyo (Ichigaya) Building constructed.
1976	“New Lifestyle” product strategy launched.
1977	“Special Project Team” system launched.
1979	Establishes Sharp Manufacturing Company of America (SMCA), its first manufacturing base in the US.
1981	Katsuragi Plant constructed in Nara Prefecture; Sharp Memorial and Technology Halls constructed in Tenri, Nara Prefecture.
1983	Develops 3-inch color TFT LCD.
1985	Creative Lifestyle Focus Center established; Fukuyama Plant constructed in Hiroshima Prefecture.
1986	Haruo Tsuji becomes President; new organizational structure launched; Sharp reforms business to overcome effects of strong yen.
1987	Sales of LCD color TVs begin.
1988	Develops 14-inch color TFT LCD; in-house job placement system begins.
1990	Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Ltd. (SLE) established in the UK; CATS activities get under way.
1991	New LCD plant constructed in Tenri, Nara Prefecture.
1992	Celebrates 80th anniversary; Makuhari Building constructed in Chiba Prefecture.
1995	Mie Plant constructed in Mie Prefecture; Sharp Laboratories of America, Inc. (SLA) established.
1996	Sharp website opens.
1997	Environmental Protection Group established; four-region (China, Middle East, Central and South America, and Central and Eastern Europe) strategy adopted.
1998	Katsuhiko Machida becomes President; new organizational structure launched.
1999	Introduces 20-inch LCD TV; “Sharp Space Town” website launched.
2000	Mobile phones with built-in camera introduced; Plasmacluster Ion, Sharp’s proprietary air purification technology, developed.
2001	Introduces the AQUOS LCD TV, the “TV for the 21st century;” Comprehensive Call Centers introduced.
2002	Celebrates 90th anniversary; Mihara Plant constructed in Hiroshima Prefecture.
2003	Begins production of System LCDs at the Mie Plant No. 3.
2004	Kameyama Plant constructed for the integrated production of “Kameyama brand” large-screen LCD TVs.
2005	Sharp electronic calculators recognized as an IEEE Milestone.
2006	Simultaneous worldwide launch of AQUOS made at Kameyama Plant No. 2; AQUOS Phone debuts.
2007	Katsuhiko Machida becomes Chairman, Mikio Katayama becomes President; new organizational structure launched.
2008	Launches total solar solutions business with aim of becoming the world’s leading solar power company.
2009	Produces first shipment of LCD panels at Green Front Sakai.
2010	GALAPAGOS cloud-based media service launched; Sharp’s solar cell achievements recognized as an IEEE Milestone.
2011	Introduces Interactive Whiteboard; Sharp (China) Investment Co., Ltd. (SCIC) begins operations as head office for the China region.