Things to know

Sharp, as you know, is a huge manufacturer of electronic things such as TVs. But few people know where the name "Sharp" comes from. It's not a Japanese name.

Well, the first product Sharp made, in 1915, was not electronic at all. It was a mechanical pencil. In Japan, mechanical pencils are called "sharp" pencils, borrowing a little English, because they never need sharpening and are always sharp.

- Zeke Suzuki