CD: The Compact Disc

James Russell first had the idea in 1965 while working for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

He called it the Optical Digital Recording (ODR) and was originally made to store information digitally while a laser read the information. By 1980 he made the first disc player and was given the R&D 100 Award for his work. However, no company was interested in the technology until Sony and Philips licensed it a version of the ODR for audio, which they called Compact Disc (CD).

The CD first became commerically available in 1982 closely followed by the CD-ROM for data in 1985. Although new formats for audio and data storage are also on the market both the CD and CD-ROM are still widely used. Both technologies paved the way for such inventions as the MP3, DVD, and Blueray. However, the invention of the MP3 begged the question "will CDs go extinct?" So far, the answer is no.

Posted By: Jessica Lantz

Source:

undefined. (July 28, 2000). Who Invented the CD and the CD-ROM? . In Scrupuli: Essays with Sharp Points. Retrieved October 25, 2009, from http://metaed.blogspot.com/2000/07/who-invented-cd-and-cd-rom.html.

Image Retrieved October 25, 2009 from http://govia.osef.org/.