1969 - Birth of video games - The Brown Box
Sold as an extra for B&W TV sets and having dim hopes of ever becoming anything -
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In 1967, the "Brown Box" was invented by Ralph Baer. No, the past didn't go that long without cardboard box technology—Baer's invention was the very first video game system.
He worked for a TV company and tried to sell them on the idea of including a video game system with their televisions. One boss said, "Are you still screwing around with that stuff?" Video games seemed pretty stupid to most of the executives, though he got a little money to produce a prototype.
Once the box was made, it was sold to Magnavox and marketed as Odyssey. Unfortunately, by the time their system debuted, Atari's Pong stole all their glory. But Magnavox sued Atari, and they settled for $1.5 million by licensing Odyssey. Though the Brown Box or Odyssey may not be well remembered today, it was the birth of the incredibly huge video gaming industry.
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