- [Narrator] Edna Mode once
said, "Never look back, darling, "it distracts from the now." However, in this video
we'll be doing just that, revisiting technologies, places, and everyday items
we're all familiar with, and seeing how they've transformed way beyond recognition over time. From the first telephones and headphones to the bizarre original
appearance of fruits, here are things that originally
looked totally different. (magical music)
- Whoa. (upbeat music)
- [Narrator] Strollers. Babies are expensive. $18,000 in the US, to be precise. That is, hospital fees
for delivering a baby, not to literally buy one. Anyway, if you are in
the market for a baby, chances are you'll need a stroller. And while all types of
hot-rods are available now, the original concept was quite different. Back in the days of yore, parents didn't have many options when it came to transporting
their little terrors, besides carrying them,
perhaps in a basket, or using a sling. Heck, even my homegirl
Mother Mary sported a sling with baby J-dawg, at least according to a 1306 painting by Giotto. However, a strange series of events would eventually see
the unexpected invention of the stroller. William Kent was an 18th
century British architect and furniture designer. Back in his day, he
was kind of a big deal, so much so, people often employed him to design all types of things. In 1733, the 3rd Duke of
Devonshire employed William to design a transportation
device to amuse his kids while on-the-go. To that, William whipped
up a four-wheel cart, hauled by a goat, no less. You might call it a
goat-kart (laughs) beh. Shockingly, despite the precariousness of allowing a farm animal
to trawl your child around, these goat-wagons reportedly
became very popular among high-society. I mean, sure, kids and goats
are an adorable mixture, but I can see some
serious hijinks occurring if you let them ride off unattended. So, it's just as well that in the 1830s, American toy maker Benjamin
Potter Crandall created a safer, parent-controlled, goat-free design. And while this, and later adaptations, which came to be known as perambulators, certainly made traveling
with a baby a lot easier, it wasn't initially a
popular choice outside of the upper-classes. It took the ever-influential
Queen Victoria buying one in 1847 for strollers to
become widely popular, and from there it was plain sailing, right up until humans started putting chihuahuas in strollers. Those poor things' ancestors
were wolves, goddammit. Have some respect. (air fizzing)
The telephone. It's hard to imagine a
world without phones. In fact, right now 91.4%
of the world's population have a mobile phone. What's more, research has indicated that on average we spend around a third of our waking hours on the darn things. So, to who do we owe the
pleasure, or rather, blame? It all started with cups and string. We all know that two cups or cans, joined by a taut piece of
string, can transmit sound. This works because the
speaking person's voice vibrates their cup, and these vibrations travel
along the stretched string, inducing the same
vibration in the other cup, replicating the input sound. Amazingly, these types of
devices have been found to have existed in very basic forms since as early as 7th century in Peru, constructed of gourds and twine. And while this seems like juvenile fun, its simple idea of sending
sound information via a wire would inspire a whole new
technology, the telephone. Inventors knew long-distance communication could be achieved if they
used these same principles on a much larger scale. But instead of using string, a series of genius inventors
ultimately figured out that sound could be converted
into an electric signal and transmitted through metal wire. The idea was there, it was just a matter of who would get there first. And, in 1876, Alexander Graham Bell officially invented the telephone. Unlike your phone which
probably fits snuggly in the palm of your hand, the phone Bell developed
after several iterations was a hefty contraption,
made up of two parts, a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter had a cylinder piece, which you can imagine being like the cup. The user would speak into this and their voice would create sound waves, causing a diaphragm inside to vibrate, which in turn vibrated a
magnet inside an iron cylinder. This generated an electrical signal, which traveled through the wire, and magnetized a coil in the receiver, vibrating another diaphragm, and replicating the original sound waves at the receiving end. And thus telecommunication
was made possible. Over the years, thanks to
constantly-developing technology, the design of the
telephone has streamlined and has seen more redesigns than Madonna. Now, Alexander Graham Bell might've figured out telecommunication, but who is responsible for smartphones? And when exactly did the
first smartphone appear? The idea is generally credited to IBM, who in 1994 created the Simon. While the term smartphone
hadn't yet been coined, IBM branded their device as a
quote, personal communicator. This packed all the essential
trimmings of a smartphone, such as calling capability, email, a calculator,
calendar, and a world clock, all eased by touchscreen and a stylus. In many ways, the Simon
showcased technology that was way beyond its
time, but unfortunately, didn't sell very well. While it packed a ton of tech, it cost an eye-watering $900 and had a measly one-hour battery life, which made it a no-deal for most people. So, it sold only 50,000 units and was pulled from the
shelves after just six months. It seems a touchscreen phone just didn't excite people enough in '94. They were more occupied by the ground-breaking
technology of flip phones. I mean, hey, you can't
deny how fun they are. (air fizzing)
Logos. Every good brand needs a good logo. And occasionally, brands
might tweak theirs in order to appeal to the modern eye, something I know all too well. However, here we'll be
looking at some logos that've changed way beyond recognition. First up, take a look
at the McDonald's logo. The company began in 1937 when Patrick McDonald opened a hotdog and hamburger stand called Air Dome. However, in 1940 his
sons, Maurice and Richard, took over and renamed
it McDonald's Barbecue, represented by this logo. Realizing that their
sales were mainly coming from their hamburgers, the
logo was soon changed to this, but it wasn't until 1952 that the name would officially change to simply McDonald's. The first official logo
of the McDonald's brand would be this little guy, who, I think, is meant to be a burger patty. By 1960, though, it was
sayonara to this fella, as the iconic golden
arches were ushered in, inspired by the unique architecture that'd been utilized in their restaurants over the prior decade. And while the arches have
certainly evolved since then, the core logo has essentially
remained the same. Another huge company that's
overhauled its logo is Apple. While the company might be known for its minimal and ultramodern
designs, their original logo in 1976 looked more
medieval than futuristic. The present logo is very
clearly and simply an apple. The same cannot be said for the original, designed by Ronald Wayne, which showed Isaac Newton
sat beneath an apple tree. Apple must've seen how, well,
overly-complicated this was as just a year later it was changed to the much more on-brand
and now iconic design, which was simplified
again from rainbow-colored to black and gray in subsequent decades. Continuing our logo
voyage now, besides ABBA, IKEA is probably the best
thing to come from Sweden. And just looking at its
blue and yellow logo, you can very clearly recognize
its Swedish heritage. However, when opening in 1951, founder Ingvar Kamprad
actually wanted this red logo as he felt it represented the low prices. Nevertheless, just three
years later in 1954, IKEA traded that in for this brown logo. Which, if you ask me,
gives connotations of turd, as opposed to low-priced furniture. It wouldn't be until
1967 that the IKEA logo would be introduced. However, real history was made in '85 when they gifted us those
sweet, sweet meatballs. Truly, Sweden's finest export. (air fizzing)
Beauty products. If there's one thing that can be said to change decade by
decade, it's beauty trends. And with those changing trends, there have been some hilarious changes in the technologies used to
carry out the trends of the day. For starters, for those who wear makeup, there's now an excellent
product known as setting spray, which prevents make-up from wearing off or running due to sweat or moisture. However, in 1947, such
a wonder didn't exist. So, Max Factor, the
cosmetics company founded by Maksymilian Faktorowicz, no joke, fashioned a rather interesting solution. Behold, Hangover Heaven. Mainly geared towards
actresses on hot film sets, the contraption allowed
them to cool their faces, all the while keeping
their make-up in place. It was essentially a
wearable ice-cube tray, with sealed cubes filled with
water that could be frozen. Not surprisingly, this didn't catch on. Perhaps it just wasn't cool enough. (crickets chirping) Much to the trauma of most people who lived through the
'80s, perms are back. But did you know the
first proper perm machine wasn't intended to curl
hair, but to straighten it? In 1928, African-American
hairdresser Marjorie Joyner patented a helmet-like machine which clamped hair in one-inch sections, and used an electrical current to heat it, resulting in the hair being straightened. And while it allowed
women of all ethnicities to sport straight locks, it could also be used
to allow Caucasian women to sport curly do's too. Sure, the beauty of the result
is very much open to debate, but the appearance of the device itself is undeniably terrifying. The things we do for beauty, huh? Speaking of which, I think I
might just bring back my perm. (air fizzing)
Fruit. Sprouting from the earth, fruit is one of Mother
Nature's best inventions. However, not all fruit we know today is as Mother Nature originally intended, beginning with bananas. In their purest form, bananas
were nowhere near as tasty and easy-to-consume as they are today, considering that they, like
their wild counterparts that are still found in certain
parts of the world today, originally had tough, thick skins, and huge seeds inside which would make them almost inedible. You see, the bananas we're familiar with have been selectively bred over centuries by humans to drastically
decrease the size of their seeds, by breeding the plants with the most favorable
characteristics together. As a result, the seeds
can barely even be spotted in modern bananas. But even more modern varieties of banana have changed a lot in recent centuries. Between the 1870s and 1950s, the most popular type of banana in the USA was the Gros Michel, which, while it might similar, was very different to the
bananas we peel open today. The Gros Michel was said to be creamy, rich, sweet, tangy, and by all accounts, far superior to the modern banana. So, if this banana was so perfect, then why doesn't it exist today? Well, for all its benefits, the Gros Michel had one
Achilles heel, Panama Disease. This fungal disease would
spread through the soil and infect the banana trees, causing them to wilt
and no longer produce. This disease tore through
banana plantations, destroying crops, and by the late 1950s the Gros Michel could no longer
be commercially produced, thus concluding its cycle as the world's most popular banana. Which begs the question, what
the hell are we eating today? Well, they call it the Cavendish Banana. You see, growers knew of
Panama Disease even back in the late 1800s, so in the early 1900s, researchers began developing
a disease-resistant banana, resulting in Gros Michel's less tasty, but close enough cousin,
the Cavendish banana, which dominates supermarket shelves today. But it's not just our beloved bananas that have had a glow-up, watermelons too. Yep, the refreshing watermelons we devour during hot summer days are
actually considerably different to the ones of yesteryear. I mean, just checkout
this 17th century painting by Giovanni Stanchi. If you take a look at what is supposed to be a pair of melons,
(drums thumping) you'll see they both have
six triangular segments, filled with a swirly flesh that is full of large, dark seeds. Crop breeding expert and professor James Nienhuis
reveres the painting, claiming that it perfectly
captures the early form of this now beloved fruit. The watermelon is said
to have first originated in north-eastern Africa and was domesticated as
a source of both water and food around 4,000 years ago. Since then, it's been selectively
bred to have fewer seeds, less rind, and a more
succulent, sugary, red flesh. Man, with all this altering
of natural produce, it's got me thinking, maybe scientists could make Brussels sprouts
taste a bit less like fart? (air fizzing)
Santa Claus. It was Christmas Eve, last year. The night was drawing in and I'd left my cookies out for Santa. Overcome with excitement, I
couldn't sleep, worse yet, there were strange noises
coming from downstairs. It must've been Santa. I gleefully bounded through
the door, but, to my horror, all I saw was Mom and Dad
putting gifts beneath the tree. And that was how I found
out that Santa isn't real. This, however, sent me down
a bit of a rabbit-hole trying to find the origins of Santa. And let's just say, he hasn't always been the
jolly fat-man we know. In Christian traditions around the world, the saints are each celebrated
with their own feast day, a specific day of the year
when people will feast in their honor. One of the most beloved is Saint Nicholas, a 4th century Greek bishop who was revered for his generosity to the poor. During the middle ages, people began celebrating
his feast day, December 6th, by giving children gifts
the evening before. Over time, this tradition's date slid over to the 24th and 25th, and resulted in Saint Nicholas evolving into a somewhat magical character
associated with Christmas, gifts and children throughout Europe. So, how did Saint Nicholas
go from being a priest to a jolly old fat-man? Well, interestingly enough,
this change happened thanks to settlers in, of all
places, New York City. Early Dutch settlers
brought their traditions to the American colonies,
including to New Amsterdam, known as New York today. These traditions included
a mythologized version of Saint Nicholas, who they
referred to as Sinterklaas, whose mythology had taken on
elements of the Pagan god, Odin, a god who flew the sky
on an eight-legged horse. Starting to see the similarities? By the 19th century,
writers' musings on Christmas and Sinterklaas cultivated
the character Santa Claus. The first example of this was
Washington Irving's 1809 book, "Knickerbocker's History of New York," where he penned the idea
of Saint-Nick soaring through the sky in a wagon and delivering presents to children. An 1821 poem, "The Children's Friend" by Arthur J. Stansbury first introduced the idea
of a flying reindeer sleigh, but it was Clement
Clarke Moore's 1822 poem, commonly known as "The
Night Before Christmas," that would really pioneer
the classic Santa tropes. It included the eight
reindeer and their names, Santa going down the chimney, plus his red cheeks and chubby physique. Thus was born the Santa we know and love. Though looking at some vintage photos, it seems that throughout
the years some people have had skewed interpretations
of ol' Saint Nick with some hideous festive masks, yikes. I'd take solemn, traditional
4th-century St. Nicholas over that monstrosity any day. (air fizzing)
New York. The classic Eurocentric perspective of US history tells a tale of Christopher Columbus
discovering America in 1492, but the reality is, he and his merrymen were little more than trespassers. The Americas were, of course, already inhabited by the Native Americans, but as Europeans gradually
flocked to the New World, the native lands were
changed beyond recognition. Over centuries, the Europeans and their culture spread
throughout America, resulting in what is
now the United States. And one spot that is beyond recognition is none other than New York. Before townhouses and skyscrapers, New York's iconic borough of Manhattan, or as the natives called it, Mannahatta, was a blooming state of vegetation, and it had been inhabited by
the Lenape tribe for centuries. Not only them, but wildlife too, such as otters, mink, and even bears. In fact, there's considerable
evidence that Times Square was once a beaver pond. But in 1624, the Dutch
arrived and claimed Mannahatta as New Amsterdam. That, however, was short lived, as the English snatched the land and christened it New York in 1664. Come the 1700s and European
immigration boomed, as many sought after land, wealth, and freedom, not to
mention the influx of Africans due to the slave trade. The city rapidly evolved from a farm-town to an economic hub as
its rows of neighborhoods and buildings sprung up. New York City's population
was rapidly growing, and by the 19th century architects were running out of space. So, to paraphrase '80s popstar
Yazz, the only way was up. Excited by the novel idea
of very tall buildings, made possible by evolving
construction technologies like high-strength steel framing, the city's business owners
began stretching the limits of just how high they could go, coining the term skyscraper in the 1880s. These big-builds began back
in the mid-19th century with constructions like
The Latting Observatory, an iron-braced wooden tower
that stood 315 feet tall, and lorded over the area
around modern-day Bryant Park until the tower burned down in 1856. With the turn of the 20th century, familiar buildings, such
as the Chrysler Building, began sprouting from the ground. 1930 saw the Empire State
Building's iconic rise, and this snowball effect
continued, resulting in the once nature-rich Mannahatta
truly becoming Manhattan, the concrete jungle. This iconic city, however, has had some more recent transformations, beginning with Times Square. This spot, once home to beavers, had become known as Longacre
Square by the 1870s, when New York's skyscrapers
had begun popping up. At the beginning of the 20th century, it already boasted a wealth of theaters, restaurants, and high-brow hotels, though even with some elaborate signs, it was still a far cry from the LED-screen billboard
wonderland it is today. Even back then, though, advertisers saw it as a
prime spot for advertising, and thus it was gradually adorned with ads from every corner of the market. It was only renamed Times Square in 1904 after "The Times" newspaper constructed the central
skyscraper for their offices. This building, no longer
owned by "The Times," is now called One Times
Square, and is, strangely, mostly unused save for the
lucrative billboard space on its walls. Despite Times Square's
impressive condition today, after the Great Depression
hit in the 1930s, the affluent area gradually
declined into squalor. What were once prestigious theaters and restaurants became X-rated
shops and smutty shows, and crime of all kinds
grew highly prevalent. By the 1970s, the Times Square area recorded the most crime
complaints in the whole city. However, the '80s soon rolled around, and there was a new zest for life, it was probably all that Jazzercising, and New York's mayors pledged
to get Times Square back to its former glory. By the '90s, the smut had been cleared up, and safety returned, bringing
with it more sightseers than ever, and hence,
higher-paying advertisers, with billboards bigger and brighter than the
square had ever seen. Now for the next stop on
our NYC transformation tour. Since first being unveiled
on October 28th, 1886, the Statue of Liberty has
become not only the matriarch of New York, but a global icon. But did you know she used to
look considerably different? The year was 1865, and
French political intellectual and anti-slavery activist
Edouard de Laboulaye proposed the idea of Lady Liberty. As a token of friendship
from France to the US, the statue would mark the US's centennial of independence and democracy, values the two nations shared. Designed by French sculptor
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, Lady Liberty was an amalgamation
of three main inspirations. The first was Columbia, the female national personification
of the United States, the second was Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom,
and the last, interestingly, was the male Roman god
of sun, Sol Invictus. Like some kind of godly Frankenstein, the Statue of Liberty was born. But did you know she was
never originally green? In fact, when she first made her trip across the Atlantic she was
actually the shiny orange-brown of the copper from which she was crafted. You see, when exposed to the elements, copper undergoes a chemical
reaction known as patination, causing it to turn a blue-green color. The statue's creators would've
most likely been well aware of this change, given their expertise in working with copper. But Lady Liberty's chameleon color-change still likely left a lot of
confused 19th-century New Yorkers wondering whether their
new copper landmark was feeling a little blue in her new home. (air fizzing)
Headphones. For most people, headphones
are an essential item, lord knows I'd be lost without mine. And yet not too long ago,
they didn't even exist. In order to understand how
headphones came about though, we're going to have to talk, yet again, about the telephone. In the technology's early days, to call someone via telephone, you would have to first speak
with a telephone operator, who would manually connect your call via a central switchboard. These stations were packed with operators, each tending to their
own batch of callers, so having all their calls amplified would've been incredibly
noisy and impractical. Ezra Gilliland, a 19th century inventor, created what many consider
the beginning of headphones. His device, which built on Alexander Graham Bell's
patented speaker technology, consisted of an earpiece which rested on the user's shoulder, and a microphone that perched on the other, allowing the user to listen
and speak at the same time. Essentially, it was a
primitive version of a headset. I mean, just imagine
gaming with that thing on. Before long, the idea
of headphones evolved into something for entertainment purposes, rather than purely function. With the removal of the microphone, and introduction of a
much smaller form factor, the Electrophone was
released in England in 1895. With neither radio nor
Spotify being a thing during the early 1890s, our Victorian pals weren't really able to enjoy music without
actually going to the theater. So, the Electrophone was invented as a subscription service
available in London, whereby subscribers could listen to a live performance through
specially-designed headphones, with the tunes being broadcast
over a telephone line. As they elegantly held the
stethoscope-shaped headphones beneath their chins, they could party hard from the comfort of their own parlors. With subsequent evolutions
in headphone tech, like the development of a
hands-free head-mounted strap being driven by global military
interest in the product, it wasn't long before headphones began to resemble the ones we know today. Nowadays, wireless tech
makes wearing earphones and headphones unbelievably
easy and convenient. So next time you curse as your AirPod falls out of your ear, spare a thought for the poor old souls who had to walk around
with these things mounted to their heads whenever they wanted to hear sound electronically. (air fizzing)
London Bridge. Ah, London Bridge, one of
the most iconic landmarks. From its stunning neo-gothic aesthetic, to its ingenious hydraulic drawbridge. Uh, wait, sorry. No, that's Tower Bridge. This is London Bridge.
(trumpet blaring) Okay, so London Bridge
isn't much of a looker, however, did you know there has been four different versions of it? Historians theorize that the original was forged way back in 43AD by the Romans, when they founded the city of Londinium. At the time, this bridge over the Thames was most likely a pontoon bridge, meaning one made up of planks of wood laid across anchored boats. This provided a useful
trade route crossing, and for this reason London Bridge has remained in the same spot ever since. After the Romans vamoosed
from Britain in 383 AD, it's believed that
various wooden iterations of London Bridge were
constructed across the Thames, none of which lasted long. But in 1176, priest Peter of Colechurch began efforts to build
a sturdier stone one. This took 33 years to build, but it impressively lasted another 600. Its appearance and function, however, were particularly interesting. Rather than just being
a structure to get you from point A to B, Londoners
maximized the real estate by actually building houses on the bridge. In fact, the bridge was once
home to some 500 people. It was a treacherous trail of
teetering timber-built houses, bustling with tenants,
merchants, and commuters. This closely-packed, bustling
setup was all a tad hazardous, proven once in 1212, and again 1633 when fires
tore through the houses. But, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, London Bridge remained steadfast, with the help of some repairs. However, the abodes on the bridge would be torn down for good in the 1750s, to widen the bridge for simple, unobstructed travel for
merchants and pedestrians alike. By the early 1800s, after years of fires and partial collapses, London Bridge was in terrible condition. So, the government decided
to build a brand-new bridge, 100-meters west of the original spot. The new London Bridge was opened in 1831, and for about 130 years it was okay. However, by 1962, it was
discovered that London Bridge was, in fact, falling down and
couldn't bear the weight of increased car traffic. So, yet again, London Bridge was rebuilt, giving us its current iteration. Designed by engineer, Harold Knox King, she really ain't much of a beauty. Though if you do want to see the beauty of the previous London Bridge, then just head on out to
Lake Havasu City in Arizona. No, really, after tearing down
London Bridge in the '60s, the City of London
decided to auction it off. Robert P. McCulloch,
founder of Lake Havasu City, bought the bridge for $7 million, had it shipped to the States, and over the course of three years, rebuilt London Bridge in Arizona. Isn't that about the most
American thing you ever heard? (air fizzing)
The Pyramids. The Great Pyramid of Giza
is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. And at an impressive 4,500
years old, it hasn't done bad. True, it's suffered a bit of
wear and tear, haven't we all? But did you know it originally
looked totally different? At one time, Egypt was one of the richest and most powerful
civilizations in the world, ruled by pharaohs who were
believed by their subjects to be anointed by the gods, and thus existing
somewhere between the human and the divine. Due to this, people
believed it was crucial to keep the pharaoh's majesty
intact even after death. They would bury them with
everything they would need in the afterlife, such as gold, food, furniture, and other offerings. All contained within the sturdy
structure of the pyramid, the shape of which not
only allowed support for huge constructions,
but has also been suggested as resembling the sun's rays, in worship of the life-giving sun-god, Ra. But how were these divine vessels built and what did they originally look like? It's a common misconception
that the pyramids were built by the enslaved. But most archeologists and
historians today actually believe the workers were most likely
paid native Egyptians. Some 20,000 men are
thought to have handled around 2.3 million blocks
of stone over the course of 20 years to create the
Great Pyramid of Giza. And while their hard work has certainly stood the test of time, there are some important
features that haven't survived. According to Professor Mohammed Megahed of the Czech Institute of Egyptology, the Great pyramid was originally cased in a fine white limestone
which gave it a smooth, bright finish that reflected the sun. Not just that, but it was also topped with a gold capstone,
known as a Pyramidion, though this since been
either lost or stolen. With the sun beaming
onto the white limestone and refracting from the gold tip, it's easy to see why the
Egyptians believed this would help their pharaohs
transcend into a divine realm. Interestingly, it's believed
that these white casing stones were largely removed and later repurposed for other constructions
by Egyptian rulers. There's even evidence
to suggest this happened during the iconic reign of Tutankhamun. Besides this, earthquakes, rain, and other forms of natural erosion have left the pyramids a
looking a little worse for wear. Now, with over 11 million
subscribers here at Be Amazed, I'd like to think if we
all worked together we could build a pretty great stone monument, preferably in the shape of my face. But, I'm sure you're busy, so I'd also accept you leaving a like, comment, or even subscribing? After all, it's what the gods would want. (air fizzing)
Remote controls. With the rise of smart TVs, you can do just about anything on your TV. Heck, my channel analytics say there's about a 51% chance you're
watching on a TV right now. All this fancy TV usage
is aided by a whole host of different digits and
dials on our remote controls. However, back in TV's infancy, remotes looked wildly different. Experiments with
television technology began in the late 1920s, but it was
the post-World War II 1950s when TV's popularity
boomed, becoming a staple in a reported 80% of
American homes by 1960. However, in TV's earlier days, something was missing, the remote. And no, no one was sat on it, the remotes just weren't widely available. Back then, you had to plod
all the way to the TV just to change the channel. Positively ghastly, oh. But while remotes remained fairly uncommon until the '60s, one early remote
had actually been invented in the year 1950, by TV
manufacturer, Zenith. With its advent meaning
users didn't have to get up to control the TV, they
aptly called it Lazy Bones. Its design, however, was hugely different by today's standards. Not only was it attached by wire, but it was a handheld bullet shape with only three functions,
volume, tuning, and power. For this, customers
would pay an extra $30, which, FYI, is roughly
equivalent to $377 in 2023. While customers appreciated
the ease of a remote, a common complaint was
that the bulky cable was an unsightly hazard. Eager to improve, Zenith hit
back with the Flash-Matic in 1955, the first wireless remote. This worked by using a light-beam to communicate with receivers on the TV, though it worked poorly in
the natural light of daytime. Its design helped pioneer
wireless technology, though its shoddy execution meant that the TV would start going haywire if the sun shone brightly on
one its remote-light sensors. Not ideal when you're deeply invested into an episode of "I Love Lucy." (upbeat music) And that, folks, is a wrap for today. Let me know which old-fashioned design you found the most interesting, and be sure to like and subscribe, catch you in the next one.
(upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues)
