Motorola introduced the first commercially successful car radio in 1930, initially selling it for around one hundred and thirty dollars, which was roughly one-fifth the price of an entire automobile back then.

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Motorola introduced the first commercially successful car radio in 1930, initially selling it for around one hundred and thirty dollars, which was roughly one-fifth the price of an entire automobile back then. Early adoption was fiercely debated, as lawmakers and safety advocates argued that blasting music while driving would dangerously distract motorists and cause massive pile-ups. Several states even attempted to aggressively ban these mobile sound systems, convinced that drivers would be completely hypnotized by the broadcasts and plummet off cliffs. Fast forward almost a century later, and modern drivers are simultaneously adjusting their GPS, browsing Spotify playlists on massive glowing touchscreens, and eating a full fast-food meal at seventy miles per hour. Those 1930s lawmakers would probably have a literal heart attack if they saw us operating a touchscreen tablet while merging onto a chaotic interstate