The Throwback Timeline

OG firsts, in order

1. May 20, 1873

   Riveted work pants get a patent

   Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss receive US patent No. 139,121 for copper rivets at the stress points of work pants, the start of blue jeans.

2. 1917

   The Converse All Star arrives

   Converse introduces its canvas-and-rubber basketball shoe. Salesman Chuck Taylor's name later goes on the ankle patch.

3. 1959

   Hydraulics lift the lowrider

   Customizer Ron Aguirre fits hydraulic pumps to his car so it can rise and drop at the flip of a switch.

4. August 1963

   The Compact Cassette debuts

   Philips shows the Compact Cassette at the Berlin Radio Show, the format that later made mixtapes possible.

5. 1964 model year

   The Pontiac GTO kicks off the muscle car boom

   Pontiac offers the GTO package with a big 389 cubic inch V8 in its midsize LeMans.

6. 1968

   Hot Wheels hit the track

   Mattel launches Hot Wheels with 16 cars, remembered by collectors as the Sweet 16.

7. November 1972

   Pong lights up the arcade

   Atari announces Pong, the table tennis video game that helped launch the coin-op video game business.

8. April 3, 1973

   The first public handheld cellphone call

   Motorola's Martin Cooper places a call on a prototype DynaTAC in New York City.

9. 1974

   Erno Rubik builds the Magic Cube

   A Budapest design teacher creates the twisting puzzle the world would come to know as the Rubik's Cube.

10. September 1976

    VHS launches in Japan

    JVC releases the first VHS recorder, opening the door to home video and the rental store.

11. 1978

    Space Invaders lands

    Taito releases Space Invaders in Japan, one of the games that kicked off the golden age of arcades.

12. July 1, 1979

    The Walkman goes on sale

    Sony's TPS-L2 puts a personal stereo in your pocket for the first time, in Japan.

13. May 22, 1980

    Pac-Man starts munching

    Namco releases Pac-Man in Japan, designed by Toru Iwatani.

14. July 15, 1983

    The Famicom launches in Japan

    Nintendo's Family Computer arrives, the console that became the NES in North America.

15. 1983 to 1984

    The DynaTAC 8000X goes on sale

    Motorola's handheld cellphone wins FCC approval in September 1983 and reaches customers at $3,995.

16. October 1985

    The NES test-launches in New York

    Nintendo brings the Nintendo Entertainment System to New York City before going nationwide in 1986.

17. April 21, 1989

    Game Boy goes pocket-sized

    Nintendo releases the Game Boy in Japan. North America follows in July with Tetris in the box.