1D-VHS
Digital VHS tapes from 1998 could store 50GB of 1080i on a normal-sized tape. It was the only way to get HD commercial films until Blu-ray came out in 2004.
2Typewriter
Ding sound of a typewriter is called a margin bell, and it wasn't to tell you that you were at the end of the line, but that you had a few characters left, so that you could prepare for it.
3Beeper
The first practical pager [beeper] was introduced in 1950 by physicians in the New York City area. It had a range of 40 km (25 mi) and weighed approximately 200 g.
4Smallest Discman
The smallest Discman ever made was smaller than a CD.
5Betamax
Betamax was actually the superior recording system, but consumers didn't consider the better performance to be worth the extra cost.
6CRT monitor
CRT monitor images can become flipped and distorted depending on which hemisphere you are using it in. This is due to the Earth's magnetic field affecting the path of the electron beam.
7VCR
When the VCR was invented, film companies tried to make it illegal due to the possibility of recording copyrighted material, in a case that reached the Supreme Court. The head of the MPAA compared the effect of the VCR on television to that of the Boston Strangler on women.
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8Fax machines
Fax machines could send photographs over telephone lines as early as 1902.
9Laserdisc
Laserdisc copies of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' released in March 1994 featured frames of a nude Jessica Rabbit left in by animators as a joke. Stores sold out of the disc minutes after they went on sale.
10VHS/Betamax war
The VHS/Betamax war of the 80s/90s spawned a little known 10-hour VHS cassette, enough to record the entire LOTR trilogy on one tape.
