Technology That Was Cutting Edge the Year You Were Born

Vintage Technology
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Vintage Technology
Vintage Technology by arbyreed / Cart / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-NC-SA)

Tech

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. 

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

1950: Transistor Radio

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.

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

1951: UNIVAC I

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

Cinerama
Cinerama by Chemical Engineer

1952: Cinerama

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).

Ice Chest
Ebay

1953: The Ice Chest

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.

RCA CT-100 model
RCA CT-100 model by HumanisticRationale (CC BY)

1954: Color TV

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.

Microwave oven 1956
Microwave oven 1956 by Daderot

1955: Microwave Oven

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.

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

1956: Hard Disk Drive

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

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

1957: Artificial Satellite

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.

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

1958: Microchip

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.

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

1959: Commercial Copier

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

Laser
Laser by US Air Force

1960: Laser

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

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
Spacewar
Spacewar by Kenneth Lu (CC BY)

1962: Spacewar

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

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

1963: Touch-Tone Telephone

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

Hand with Computer Mouse
TommL/istockphoto

1964: Computer Mouse

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

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

1965: Moog Synthesizer

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

CD-rom against a black background
Scharvik/istockphoto

1966: Compact Disc

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

Young woman using ATM
eclipse_images/istockphoto

1967: ATMs

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

Jacuzzi
Jacuzzi by SenseiAlan (CC BY)

1968: Jacuzzi

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

Microcassette
Microcassette by Malcohol (CC BY-SA)

1969: Microcassette

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

Man inserting a floppy disk in an old computer
mikkelwilliam/istockphoto

1970: Floppy Disk

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

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

1971: Microprocessor

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

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

1972: Pong

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

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

1973: Cell Phones

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

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)

1974: Barcodes

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

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

1975: Laser Printer

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

Hand putting VHS tape in a VCR
KLH49/istockphoto

1976: VHS

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

Apple II
Apple II by Marcin Wichary (CC BY)

1977: Apple II

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

Navstar Satellite
USAF / Wikimedia Commons

1978: GPS

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.

Vintage Walkman, Cassette Tape, and Blue Headphones on a Wooden Background
man_kukuku/istockphoto

1979: Walkman

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

Camcorder
Nabukodinosaure/ Wikimedia Commons

1980: Camcorder

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.

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

1981: Personal Computer

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

CDs in shelf
IngaNielsen/istockphoto

1982: CDs

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

Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word by Jwild (CC BY-SA)

1983: Microsoft Word

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

Macintosh Computer
Cart/ Wikimedia Commons

1984: Macintosh Computer

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

Microsoft Windows 1.0
Microsoft Windows 1.0 by Rezonansowy

1985: Windows

Microsoft launched its first operating system with Windows 1.0.

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

1986: Disposable Camera

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

First GIF
r/break_me_down via Reddit.com

1987: GIFs

Stephen Wilhite invented something that we’ve used more and more over the years while working at CompuServe. Oh, and it’s pronounced like Jif, the peanut butter.

Sega Genesis
Sega Genesis by Evan Amos

1988: Sega Genesis

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.

Online Instructor
stevecoleimages/istockphoto

1989: World Wide Web

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
1990: 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.

Lady sitting at desk, using computer and waving to webcam
Prostock-Studio/istockphoto

1991: Webcam

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

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

1992: SMS

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

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

1993: MessagePad

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…

PlayStation
PlayStation by Evan Amos

1994: PlayStation

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

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

1995: Virtual Reality

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

A HiFi tower with a collection of music on CD and DVD.
ucho103/istockphoto

1996: DVD

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

Focus on a Black Wireless Wi-Fi Router on a Wooden Desk, a Laptop on the Left
Andrii Atanov/istockphoto

1997: Wi-Fi

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

Google 1998 homepage
Google 1998 homepage by Google Inc.

1998: Google

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.

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

1999: MP3 Player

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

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