Charting Progress at CES

Imagine shuffling into a strip-mall RadioShack, but instead dusty batteries and headphone splitters, the space held tens of thousands of square feet filled with the newest, coolest electronics the world had to offer. Welcome to the Consumer Electronics Show, a no-public-allowed showcase held since 1967. Remember those prism-making music circles our ancestors called “CD’s”? Those debuted at CES in 1981. Ever winced as your father hit PLAY on glitchy homemade footage of your bris? The camcorder was shown that same year, one stand over. Been freaked out by Blu-Ray’s unnerving, granular reality? Deliver your curses to CES 2003.

Here’s our rundown of the top debuts ever to come out of this mythical, electron-happy show. Enjoy, and remember: at one point, folks were losing their minds over VCRs.