Innovation of the decade

In 1979, at the Sony Corporation of Japan, executives were worried that their new product, a personal stereo with lightweight headphones, would not sell because it only played back prerecorded cassettes. They were proved wrong when the Walkman became an instant success. From the bus to the bath, from Saturday Night Fever to punk rock, the Walkman greatly increased listening opportunities. Models designed to play CDs appeared in 1982.