# Canonical recap data for Transistor Radio Commercialized (1954)
# Source: https://recap.at/1954/regency-transistor-radio
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: regency-transistor-radio
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1954/regency-transistor-radio"
title: Transistor Radio Commercialized
subtitle: The Regency TR-1 became the first commercially manufactured transistor radio, revolutionizing portable consumer electronics.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1954-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1954
decade: 1950
country:
name: United States
slug: united-states
summaryShort: A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Previous portable radios used vacuum tubes, which were bulky, fragile, had a limited lifetime, consumed excessive power and required large, heavy batteries. Following the invention of the transistor in 1947—a semiconductor devic
summaryLong: A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Previous portable radios used vacuum tubes, which were bulky, fragile, had a limited lifetime, consumed excessive power and required large, heavy batteries. Following the invention of the transistor in 1947—a semiconductor device that amplifies and acts as an electronic switch, which revolutionized the field of consumer electronics by introducing small but powerful, convenient hand-held devices—the Regency TR-1 was released in 1954 becoming the first commercial transistor radio. The mass-market success of the smaller and cheaper Sony TR-63, released in 1957, led to the transistor radio becoming the most popular electronic communication device of the 1960s and 1970s. Billions had been manufactured by about 2012.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/89/Emerson_Model_888_Pioneer_8-Transistor_AM_Radio%2C_Made_in_the_USA%2C_Circa_1958_%2821973868670%29.jpg/1280px-Emerson_Model_888_Pioneer_8-Transistor_AM_Radio%2C_Made_in_the_USA%2C_Circa_1958_%2821973868670%29.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Transistor radio"
importance: 84
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts: []
timeline: []
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio"
  title: Transistor radio
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
categories:
- tech-launch
metaDescription: A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver that uses transistor-based circuitry. Previous portable radios used vacuum tubes, which were bulky, fragil
wikidataQid: Q506260
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260606064248/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-06
  label: Transistor radio
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transistor_radio"
