![]() The Indianapolis people built the radios. TI built the transistors. ![]() It was a joint project of Regency and Dallas-based Texas Instruments. There, at 7900 Pendleton Pike, in October 1954 the world's first commercial transistor radio was built. So they stayed in Indianapolis and formed their own company. It was founded shortly after World War II by two RCA engineers who were about to be transferred to New Jersey but didn't want to go. They started on Indianapolis' east side in the bowels of a small company called Industrial Development Engineering Associates, which would later change its name to Regency Electronics. You may thank (or blame) Steve Jobs for this, but portable, pocket-sized electronic gizmos that keep you connected to the world didn't start with Jobs. With its telephone function and its Internet access, it's the thing that keeps you connected to the world. Today your mobile device is as vital as your car keys. IndyStar is joining the celebration by highlighting an object a week during the exhibit's run. But it all started with the transistor radio way back in 1954.To mark Indiana's bicentennial, the Indiana State Museum is featuring an exhibit called "200 Objects," which consists of widely varying items that represent Hoosierness. While radio may be less significant these days, the concept of a small handheld device that provides access to music and ideas is more popular than ever in the form of today’s smartphone. The Boombox, the Discman, and the iPod arrived over the following decades, replacing the transistor radio and, further, eroding broadcast radio’s status as the most important way to reach the masses with music and ideas. The transistor radio began to decline in popularity in the late 1970s as the cassette and the Walkman took over. In providing this avenue for artistic expression and the dissemination of new ideas, the transistor radio played a significant role in many of the musical and cultural movements of the 1950s and 1960s. For the first time, young people had the freedom to listen to music and world news amongst themselves without the threat of parental disapproval. The transistor radio wasn’t just a revolutionary piece of technology – it also revolutionized music and youth culture. Many models even had a single plug-in earphone for private listening, not unlike the headphones used with later devices such as the Walkman and the iPod. In addition to lower prices, the first half of the decade also saw the addition of FM capabilities to the previously AM-only transistor radio. These Japanese models brought prices down significantly, and by the 1960s, transistor radios cost around $15 (about $117 today), making them affordable birthday and Christmas presents during the prosperous 1960s. Sony’s TR-55 and TR-63 were particularly notable, but Sharp and Toshiba also sold transistor radios. Shortly after the TR-1 went out of production, Japanese manufacturers began selling cheaper and smaller transistor radios to the American public. Image source: Stocksy United New Models & Further Improvements Instead of a family affair, teenagers began listening to the radio alone or with groups of friends. It was also highly portable and changed the way that Americans enjoyed radio. In contrast to these older models, the TR-1 was small and much less easy to break. In most cases, families would huddle around a single large wooden radio in their home and listen to programs together. Because these radios used breakable vacuum tubes, they were also very delicate. Previous models were large and mostly stationary. Signaling a Changeĭespite its short life, the TR-1 changed the face of consumer radio forever. ![]() Around 150,000 units were sold, but the TR-1 wasn’t produced for very long. However, it was quite expensive – the TR-1 retailed for around $50, which translates to nearly $400 today. It was able to receive AM radio stations and had an impressive 20-hour lifespan due to its 22.5v battery. It was easily portable, measuring just five inches high, and used four transistors. It featured a gold dial and was available in a variety of colors. On October 18, 1954, they released the Regency TR-1 just in time for the Christmas shopping season. Texas Instruments built the transistors and the Regency division of I.D.E.A. ![]() ![]() (Industrial Development Engineering Associates) and Texas Instruments. The first transistor radio was created as a joint project between I.D.E.A. Image credit: Julia Bujalski The Regency TR-1 ![]()
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