Tech Archives : The Retro Network

From Free Discs to Freefall: The AOL Story

AOL rose by making the internet simple, social, and inviting, turning chat rooms, instant messaging, and curated content into a digital home that defined online life before the open web left it behind.

Rewinding the VHS vs. Betamax Showdown

Mickey Yarber

The VHS and Betamax war was a clash of vision and strategy, a moment when two rival formats fought for space beneath the living room television and only one became the way an entire generation watched movies at home.

Merlin: Strategy, Memory, and the Rise of Electronic Play

Mickey Yarber

When video games like Pong began lighting up bars, basements, and rec rooms in the 1970s, the toy industry felt the tremors. Electronics were no longer the domain of hobbyists and engineers; they were becoming

Teddy Ruxpin Was the Talking Toy That Became a Phenomenon

Mickey Yarber

At some point, anyone who had a stuffed animal wished that it could talk. Kids look upon these toys as friends and companions, so it’s only natural for them to wish they could come to

Simon: The Memory Game That Frustrated a Generation

Mickey Yarber

There was never enough Simon to go around. This was one of those toys that could languish alone in the corner of a kid’s room, in desperate need of a battery or a good dusting-off,

Big Trak: The Programmable Tank That Drove Our Childhoods

Mickey Yarber

November of 1979 was the moment the future finally arrived in the American living room. When the holidays arrived a month later, many American children (mostly boys) were treated to the toy of their dreams,