Short answers, pulled from the story.
Columbia Records was founded on the 15th of January, 1889, by stenographer and lawyer Edward D. Easton and a group of investors in Washington, D.C. It is the oldest surviving brand name in the recorded sound business.
Columbia Records introduced the long-playing microgroove LP in June 1948 under company president Edward Wallerstein, with engineer William Savory credited for the technical achievement. The first twelve-inch LP was Nathan Milstein's recording of the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor, officially launched on the 21st of June, 1948.
Columbia A&R manager John Hammond first encountered Bob Dylan in September 1961 during a recording session for folk singer Carolyn Hester, who had invited Dylan to accompany her on harmonica. Hammond signed Dylan to Columbia, and Dylan's self-titled debut album was released in March 1962.
John Hammond was a talent scout, music writer, producer, and impresario who joined Columbia in 1937. His discoveries and signings at Columbia included Charlie Christian, Count Basie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, making his career one of extraordinary historical and cultural importance to the label.
In the late 1970s, Columbia deputy president Dick Asher discovered that a loose collective of independent radio promoters called The Network was charging major labels between one hundred thousand and three hundred thousand dollars per song. Asher ran a covert experiment withholding payment for the Pink Floyd single "Another Brick in the Wall", and found that major Los Angeles radio stations refused to play it despite sold-out Pink Floyd concerts in the city.
Sony acquired the CBS Records Group, which included Columbia Records, in 1988. Sony renamed the parent division Sony Music Entertainment in 1991, and the CBS Records label was officially renamed Columbia Records worldwide on the 1st of January, 1991.