Today, Samsung is widely known as an electronics company. However, it is much more than that. This South Korean conglomerate company produces electronics, chemicals, apparel, ships and even medical equipment. When it first began in 1938, it actually had nothing to do with electronics.
Lee Byung-chull founded Samsung as a small trading company with just 40 employees. When it first began, Samsung dealt in groceries produced in and around it's hometown of Su-dong. It also produced it's own noodles. The company began to prospers and Byung-chull moved it's headquarters to Seoul in 1947.
The company diversified into a number of different industry and tried to become a leader in all of them. Obviously, they were very successful and continued to grow into the giant they are today. Their current revenue is equal to about 17% of South Korea's GDP.