In 1946, the Radio Corporation of America unveiled a new 10-inch black and white television, boasting that the set offered “full thirteen channel coverage.” The price was $350, or $4,272 adjusted for inflation.

Today, for the same inflation-adjusted cost, an American consumer could visit the Best Buy website and purchase about nine 50-inch Sharp high-definition color flat screens, which could be used to access hundreds of channels, stream movies or play video games.