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Microsoft Co-Founder Bill Gates in 1983
Doug Wilson/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

We’ve come a long way, baby, when it comes to technology. But do you know the tech that was all the rage when you were born? Read on to see innovations that may seem quaint and commonplace today but were revolutionary at the time. 

1950: Transistor Radio

Vintage General Electric Portable Transistor Radio
Vintage General Electric Portable Transistor Radio by Joe Haupt ((CC BY-SA))

At the beach, on the street, everywhere you went in 1950, someone was toting one of these portable radios around. Use of transistors rather than large vacuum tubes, allowed for the miniaturization of radios, TVs, and more.

1951: UNIVAC I

UNIVAC I
UNIVAC I by Amber Case ((CC BY-NC))

The predecessor of the computers we use today was released this year. It weighed almost 7 tons!

1952: Cinerama

Cinerama
Cinerama by Chemical Engineer

This film technology, which used three cameras and a curved screen, made movies a lot cooler to see in the theater (assuming you lived near a Cinerama theater).

1953: The Ice Chest

Ice Chest
Ebay

It’s hard to imagine a picnic without a cooler, but it wasn’t until 1953 that Richard C. Laramy received a patent for his innovative design, and the world was forever changed by chilled beverages.

1954: Color TV

RCA CT-100 model, the first colored TV
RCA CT-100 model by HumanisticRationale ((CC BY))

The world came alive on television sets with the release of the RCA CT-100 model, which had a 12-inch screen. It cost $1,000.

1955: Microwave Oven

Microwave oven 1956
Microwave oven 1956 by Daderot

In 1955, the brand Tappan released its first microwave oven, changing the game for home cooks all around the globe when it came to getting dinner on the table in a jiffy.

1956: Hard Disk Drive

Hard Disk Drive from the 1950s
Hard Disk Drive from 1950s by Jkbw ((CC BY-SA))

It’s hard to imagine that the first hard disk drive stored the equivalent of 3.75 megabytes on 50 disks!

1957: Artificial Satellite

Artificial Satellite
Artificial Satellite by Butko ((CC BY-SA))

Russia’s launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, opened the door to all kinds of questions about what we could do with the technology.

1958: Microchip

Texas Instruments engineers in Dallas, TX (early 1960s)
Texas Instruments engineers in Dallas, TX ((early 1960s)) by James R. Biard ((CC BY-SA))

This year, the microchip was invented by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, which paved the way for today’s computers. He later won a Nobel Prize in Physics.

1959: Commercial Copier

Xerox 914
Xerox 914 copier machine by Conrad Bakker ((CC BY-NC-SA))

Xerox released its first commercial copier, changing the document copying game forever.

1960: Laser

Laser
Laser by US Air Force

Here’s another technology that would come to be of great importance to us globally. It was invented at Hughes Research Laboratory in California.

1961: Industrial Robot

Advanced High Precision Robot Arm inside Bright Electronics Factory. Electronic Devices Production Industry. Component Installation on Circuit Board. Fully Automated Modern PCB Assembly Line.
SweetBunFactory/istockphoto

Though robots were invented a decade before, it was this year that the patent was applied to the automotive and other industries.

1962: Spacewar

Spacewar
Spacewar by Kenneth Lu ((CC BY))

The first computer game, Spacewar, was invented by an MIT grad student. Yes, even in the 1960s, students were wasting timeplaying games.

1963: Touch-Tone Telephone

touch-tone telephone
touch-tone telephone by arbyreed ((CC BY-NC-SA))

The Pennsylvania towns of Carnegie and Greensburg were lucky; they were the first to experience the touch-tone phone.

1964: Computer Mouse

Close-up of female hand with computer mouse. Shallow DOF.
TommL/istockphoto

Where would we be without our computer mouse (mice?)? You can thank Douglas Engelbar of the Stanford Research Institute for that invention.

1965: Moog Synthesizer

Moog Synthesizer
Moog Synthesizer by EJ Posselius ((CC BY-SA))

Music production got super funky in 1965, thanks to the invention of this commercial synthesizer.

1966: Compact Disc

null
Scharvik/istockphoto

This year, James Russell filed his patent for the first digital-to-optical recording and playback system.

1967: ATMs

Young woman using a cash machine
eclipse_images/istockphoto

London was the first home of an automatic teller machine. Today, we’ve got them on every corner!

1968: Jacuzzi

Jacuzzi 1978 advertisement
Jacuzzi by SenseiAlan ((CC BY))

While it wasn’t yet ready for the world, the first whirlpool tub received its patent in 1968.

1969: Microcassette

Microcassette
Microcassette by Malcohol ((CC BY-SA))

Even more convenient than a regular cassette, the microcassette was 25% the size of its big brother.

1970: Floppy Disk

null
mikkelwilliam/istockphoto

Remember these? They’re what we put our college essays on before the cloud was born.

1971: Microprocessor

Intel 4004
Intel 4004 by Thomas Nguyen ((CC BY-SA))

This is the year that Intel came out with the Intel 4004, the first microprocessor that would change the world of computing.

1972: Pong

Pong by Atari
Pong by Atari by Jeff Keyzer ((CC BY-SA))

The first video game released by Atari, Pong was table tennis at its finest.

1973: Cell Phones

vintage cell phone
Vintage cell phone by Joe Haupt ((CC BY-SA))

Yes, cell phones were invented in the 1970s, though they were a far cry from the tiny computers we carry around today.

1974: Barcodes

Wrigley’s Chewing Gum in 1974 introduces the first barcode
Wrigley’s Chewing Gum in 1974 introduces the first barcode by Like_the_Grand_Canyon ((CC BY-NC))

They’re everywhere today, but barcodes got their start in 1974 when Wrigley’s Chewing Gum started using them.

1975: Laser Printer

Xerox 1200 laser printer
Xerox 1200 by U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center ((CC BY-SA))

Xerox announced its Xerox 1200 laser printer this year, which could print 60 pages per minute. Wow!

1976: VHS

Loading a vhs tape
KLH49/istockphoto

The Video Home System was released this year, opening up a whole world of watching videos and recording television.

1977: Apple II

Apple II Plus computer
Apple II by Marcin Wichary ((CC BY))

Apple released its first mass-produced home computer. By 1993, 5 million to 6 million computers were sold.

1978: GPS

Navstar Satellite
USAF / Wikimedia Commons

Yes, the Global Positioning System we use today with Google and Apple Maps got its start decades ago with the launch of Navstar/GPS satellite.

1979: Walkman

Vintage walkman, cassette tape, and blue headphones on a wooden background
man_kukuku/istockphoto

Sony came out with its portable music player, making it easy to carry your tunes with you.

1980: Camcorder

Camcorder
Nabukodinosaure/ Wikimedia Commons

While it wasn’t his first video recording device, it was the camcorder that made inventor Jerome Lemelson a star. He got his patent for the camcorder in 1980.

1981: Personal Computer

IBM Personal Computer 1981
IBM Personal Computer 1981 by Federigo Federighi ((CC BY-SA))

Computers became a household appliance when the IBM Personal Computer (PC) came out.

1982: CDs

Piles of CDs in a shelf.
IngaNielsen/istockphoto

While the patent for compact discs was filed in the ‘60s, it wasn’t until 1982 that they hit the market.

1983: Microsoft Word

Two students on computers using Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word by Jwild ((CC BY-SA))

Word quickly became the go-to software at work, school, and home, thanks to Microsoft.

1984: Macintosh Computer

Macintosh Computer
Cart/ Wikimedia Commons

Not to be outdone by IBM, Apple launched its own personal computer this year.

1985: Windows

Microsoft Windows 1.0
Microsoft Windows 1.0 by Rezonansowy

Microsoft launched its first operating system with Windows 1.0.

1986: Disposable Camera

Fujifilm QuickSnap camera
Fujifilm QuickSnap camera by Jud McCranie ((CC BY-SA))

Fujifilm released the QuickSnap camera, one that used film but that could be thrown away after use.

1987: GIFs

First GIF
r/break_me_down via Reddit.com

Stephen Wilhite invented something that we’ve used more and more over the years while working at CompuServe. Graphics Interchange Format or GIF, is an image format that features a series of images or videos without sound that loop continuously. These short, often humorous, animations have become increasingly popular on social media and text messaging platforms. Oh, and it’s pronounced like Jif, the peanut butter, according to Wilhite.

1988: Sega Genesis

Sega Genesis
Sega Genesis by Evan Amos

Though it was initially released in Japan as the Mega Drive gaming system, by the time it reached the U.S., the name had changed to Sega Genesis.

1989: World Wide Web

Computers in a library
stevecoleimages/istockphoto

This was a big year for technology; the World Wide Web was born. It was designed to be a “universal linked information system.”

1990: Hubble Space Telescope

Hubble Space Telescope
1990: Hubble Space Telescope

The space shuttle Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into space in 1990, where it’s been orbiting and exploring ever since.

1991: Webcam

Distance Education. Positive lady wearing glasses and wireless headest at virtual meeting, sitting at desk, having video call on laptop, waving to webcam. Woman studying or teaching online at home
Prostock-Studio/istockphoto

Who would have imagined that this invention would revolutionize virtual meetings during and after the pandemic?

1992: SMS

Texting sms with phone in city outdoor park. Woman sending text message with cellphone. Chatting on instant messaging app. Person using smartphone. Conversation and discussion with friend online.
Tero Vesalainen/istockphoto

In 1992, the first SMS (that’s short message service) was sent. We wonder what it said…

1993: MessagePad

Apple MessagePad
Apple MessagePad by htomari ((CC BY-SA))

Apple launched its first PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), which could send faxes, take notes, and store contacts. Now, if only we could call people on it…

1994: PlayStation

PlayStation
PlayStation by Evan Amos

Sony’s PlayStation got its start in 1994 and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon.

1995: Virtual Reality

Nintendo’s Virtual Boy by Christo ((CC BY-SA))

Though it didn’t take off, Nintendo entered the virtual reality market with its Virtual Boy platform.

1996: DVD

null
ucho103/istockphoto

The new kid on the block, the DVD, quickly overtook the VHS when it came to video format.

1997: Wi-Fi

Focus on a black wireless wi-fi router on a wooden desk, a laptop on the left with a semi-transparent white curtains, bright sunlight coming through window
Andrii Atanov/istockphoto

No longer were wires required to enjoy internet browsing, thanks to the advent of wi-fi.

1998: Google

Google 1998 homepage
Google 1998 homepage by Google Inc.

Another huge year for the internet: Google was invented as a tool that would search the millions of documents found on the World Wide Web.

1999: MP3 Player

MP3 Player
MP3 Player by Tnoack1 ((CC BY-SA))

While the U.S. saw MP3 players enter the market at the end of 1998, in 1999, they became ubiquitous worldwide.

2000: Camera Phone

Selfie Stick
Amazon

Korea was the first country to start taking pics with their phones when Samsung launched the SCH-V200.

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