Fill in the gaps with the verbs in the correct form: (Past Simple Tense) After the Second World War, Akio Morita, the co-founder of Sony, (join) forces with a friend, Masaru Ibuka. Both men (know) a great deal about telecommunications, so they (use) all their money, about USD 100, and (set) up a small engineering company, Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo. They (find) a small broken-down building to use as a laboratory in Tokyo. There (be) so many holes in the roof that when it (rain), they (have) to continue working under umbrellas.
Their first task (be) to decide what to make. They (not / want) to produce radios because of the competition from much larger companies. Instead, they (decide) to create an entirely new product, a tape recorder. They (succeed) in making a machine, but unfortunately they (not have) any tape, and they (not / know) how to produce it.
So they (start) to experiment, and (try) using a number of different materials. Finally, they (make) a breakthrough. They (cut) up strips of paper to make a reel, and (paint) them with a magnetic material that they (heat) on a frying pan in their small room.
It (work), and they gradually (improve) the process. In 1950, they (begin) trying to sell their revolutionary machine.
And the rest is history!
