Past Forward: The First Transistor Radio

On 1 November 1954, the first transistor radio hit store shelves just in time for the holiday shopping season. The Regency TR-1 was advertised as the world's first pocket radio, although at 12.7 by 8.7 by 3.5 centimeters, it required pretty big pockets—literally and figuratively. The radio sold for US $49.95, or more than $580 today, which is coincidentally about what it'll cost you to buy one on eBay. Still, the radio was significantly smaller than any vacuum-tube model.