Bernafon history
It all started in Switzerland shortly before 1946 when young Hans Gfeller Jr., a student in engineering, got a hold of his father's new hearing aid. Instead of admiring what was then the best in audiological technology, he took it up to his room, grabbed a screwdriver and proceeded to take it apart, piece by piece.
While history doesn't tell what Mr. Gfeller Sr.'s reaction was when he found out what happened, we know it didn't take long for him to start developing and selling his own sound amplification devices.
More on history