Gibson
Orville Gibson founded the company in 1902 as the "Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd." in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to make mandolin-family instruments. Gibson invented archtop guitars by constructing the same type of carved, arched tops used on violins. By the 1930s, the company was also making flattop acoustic guitars, as well as one of the first commercially available hollow-body electric guitars, used and popularized by Charlie Christian. In 1944, Gibson was bought by Chicago Musical Instruments (CMI), which was acquired in 1969 by Panama-based conglomerate Ecuadorian Company Limited (ECL), that changed its name in the same year to Norlin Corporation. Gibson was owned by Norlin Corporation from 1969 to 1986. In 1986, the company was acquired by a group led by Henry Juszkiewicz and David H. Berryman.
George Gibson (baseball)
Gibson made his major league debut July 2, 1905 at the age of 24. Gibson stood 5'11.5" and weighed 190 pounds, which was considered large for a baseball player of his era. Although he did not provide prolific offensive statistics, he did provide excellent defensive abilities and was a keen student of baseball strategy under the tutelage of Pirates manager Fred Clarke. The Pirates finished in second place three times in four seasons between 1905 and 1908. During the 1908 season, they were involved in a tight pennant race with the Chicago Cubs and the New York Giants. The Pirates were in first place going into the final day of the season but lost their final game to the eventual National League champion Chicago Cubs.