Ongoing History Daily: The Sony Walkman, part 5

Here’s our final installment of our look at the Sony Walkman, which was introduced on July 1, 1979.

The name “Walkman” was conceived by Sony marketing people in Japan in 1979. Someone on the team was inspired by the popularity of Superman back then—seriously—and thought that “Walkman” would work.

Second point: the plural of “Walkman” is “Walkmans.” I know you want to say “Walkmen,” but that would be incorrect. Don’t do it.  “Walkman” became an indelible part of the English language in 1986 when it officially made the Oxford English Dictionary.

Let’s keep going: The Walkman helped make the pre-recorded cassette the biggest selling format on the planet for a while back in the 1980s.

And finally, thanks to the Walkman, the idea of a gadget that could be carried everywhere became very hip, something that we still believe today.