1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello Everybody, I'm Eaves and you're tuned into 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,480 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class, a show where we travel 4 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: back in time one day at a time. Today is October. 5 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:28,880 Speaker 1: The day was October eighth. Nineteen fifty four, Texas Instruments 6 00:00:28,880 --> 00:00:33,520 Speaker 1: announced the first commercial transistor radio, the Regency t R one. 7 00:00:34,680 --> 00:00:37,400 Speaker 1: A transistor is a device that controls the flow of 8 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:42,319 Speaker 1: electricity and electronic equipment. The device was invented in nine 9 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: when scientists at Bill Laboratories in New Jersey successfully demonstrated 10 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: one for the first time. The transistor was developed to 11 00:00:52,800 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: replace vacuum tubes, which were cumbersome, faulty, used a lot 12 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 1: of power, and produced a lot of heat. Bell Labs 13 00:01:01,480 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: announced the invention of the transistor in nine and over 14 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: the next several years, the device was improved and replaced 15 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes and mechanical relays. The transistor was smaller than 16 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes, used less energy, and was more durable. The 17 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: use of transistors also allowed for immediate operation of a device, 18 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: since there were no filaments that had to heat up. 19 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:30,640 Speaker 1: The invention of the transistor changed the field of electronics 20 00:01:30,680 --> 00:01:35,199 Speaker 1: in a major way. In their early years, radios were huge, 21 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,920 Speaker 1: unwildy pieces of equipment. On top of that, they used 22 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:43,080 Speaker 1: a lot of energy. There were portable radios that used 23 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes, but they were still heavy and bulky, and 24 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: vacuum tubes were still inefficient. It's likely that many companies 25 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:55,600 Speaker 1: were planning to create radios using the new transistor technology, 26 00:01:55,720 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: and some did create prototypes, but the technology company Tis 27 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:04,919 Speaker 1: Instruments was the first to offer a commercially manufactured transistor radio. 28 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: Texas Instruments, which was already producing Germanium transistors, was eager 29 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: to get the first transistor radio to the consumer market. 30 00:02:15,120 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: The company worked with the Regency division of a firm 31 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: called Industrial Development Engineering Associates to create the Regency t 32 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: R one. Other prototype transistor radios required manually selecting and 33 00:02:28,600 --> 00:02:32,880 Speaker 1: matching electrical parts to make them work, which made production expensive, 34 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:37,040 Speaker 1: but an engineer working on the t R one designed 35 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,280 Speaker 1: a feedback circuit that let production run parts be sidered 36 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,400 Speaker 1: directly into the boards with manual selection. Production of the 37 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: radio was kept secret until it was unveiled on October eighteenth, 38 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,560 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty four, and soon after it was offered for 39 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: sale to the public. The introduction of the t R 40 00:02:54,960 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: one made portable audio feasible and fashionable. Ads announced at 41 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:02,359 Speaker 1: the t R one was so small that it could 42 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:06,000 Speaker 1: be put in a normal suitcoat pocket. It had four 43 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: germanium transistors and a two point five bolt battery with 44 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,919 Speaker 1: more than twenty hours of life. It was just five 45 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 1: by three by one and a quarter inches big. At first, 46 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: it was offered in four colors, ivory black, Mandarin red, 47 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: and cloud gray, but soon the color choices were expanded. 48 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 1: It cost just under fifty dollars, which is around four 49 00:03:29,760 --> 00:03:34,120 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy seven dollars nineteen, though that price was 50 00:03:34,160 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: prohibited for a lot of people. Around one hundred thousand 51 00:03:37,640 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 1: of the radios were sold in a year. A contemporary 52 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,480 Speaker 1: press release said that quote the pocket sauce is a 53 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:48,680 Speaker 1: significant achievement since it includes a high fidelity, high volume 54 00:03:48,720 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: speaker and a single battery supply, as well as all 55 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: associated receiver circuit components. People were a fan of the 56 00:03:56,600 --> 00:03:59,760 Speaker 1: radio's appearance, but it was lacking in the areas of 57 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,760 Speaker 1: quality and performance. In the years after the release of 58 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:07,040 Speaker 1: the t R one, other companies like Sony also began 59 00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:10,960 Speaker 1: producing transistor radios. Paving the way for later developments in 60 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:15,200 Speaker 1: portable audio. I'm Eve STEPF Coote and hopefully you know 61 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: a little more about history today than you did yesterday. 62 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,520 Speaker 1: Send your best history names to us at T D 63 00:04:22,560 --> 00:04:29,000 Speaker 1: i h C Podcast on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and 64 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:32,400 Speaker 1: you can email us at this Day at I heart 65 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:36,560 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks for listening and we'll see you tomorrow. 66 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: M For more podcasts from My Heart Radio, visit the 67 00:04:53,760 --> 00:04:56,440 Speaker 1: i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 68 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:57,360 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows.