Compact Disc Facts: 11 Tidbits for the CD's 30th Birthday

Here at Spinner we have many CDs. We receive hundreds a month, and most of them end up in a big bin or on a shelf that we share with the lovely Moviefone staff. The rest get shipped off to who-knows-where. Now that the compact disc has turned 30 years old, we decided to delve into the history of this modern device and what mysteries they possess. We probably won't be seeing much of these shiny spinners in our near future, so let's celebrate these circle-shaped memory holders while they're still around. Below, you'll find 11 interesting facts about the compact disc paired with some truly bizarre '90s stock photos. Enjoy!

1. Sony and Phillips, the two companies who pioneered the original CD, agreed on the standard memory size. Urban lore has it that they chose the (at the time) 74-minute maximum length so Beethoven's "9th Symphony" could fit on one disc. [TechRepublic]

2. If you want to jam to that cassette tape your ex-girlfriend made for you sophomore year of high school, it's going to cost you. Featuring CD players in cars gained popularity in the early 2000s; 2010 is the last model year in which any car came factory-equipped with a cassette player. [NYTimes]

I think I see the data!

3. Techies of the early '80s geeked out over the first CD player available for sale, the Sony CDP-101. Released on October 1, 1982, this revolutionary machine could have been yours for a cool $900. (Remote included!) [Mixonic]

4. A compact disc may be less than 5 inches wide, but if the data track were unwound, it would stretch to over 3.5 miles long.

5. The potential was endless when it came to naming this newfangled technology. Possible alternatives included MiniRack, MiniDisc, and CompactRack. Ultimately the term "compact disc" -- which later led to the "CD" moniker we all know and love -- was chosen in tribute to the compact cassette's success. [Reviewsic]

Ha! Purchased ...

6. The compact disc can hold around 700MB of info. That's approximately 80 minutes of straight up tuneage! Even your first generation iPod can hold a lot more Joni Mitchell than that.

7. A CD spins at a rate of 200 and 500 RPM, depending on what track you're playing. You know how sometimes, it sounds like your computer is going to take off and fly away because the CD in your disc tray is doing its thing? That's probably the 500 RPMs of raw power you're feeling.

CD Baby?

8. How about this? A CD's shelf life is around 100 years. Lowly floppy disks and tapes often become faulty after only a decade or less.

9. The very first compact disc to sell 1 million copies was ... Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms. Bet you've never even heard that one, have ya? [Metal Floss]

Don't get burnt!

10. As with any format switch, there was backlash. People thought vinyl was superior (it still is), but the chance for musicians to showcase their sound on CDs became increasingly popular. The Star Man himself, David Bowie, was the first major artist to convert his entire catalog to the compact disc format in 1985. [Mental Floss]

11. Our last tidbit is the most embarrassing. At one point, 50 percent of all compact discs worldwide had an AOL logo on it. Think about that! Just think about it. [Tech Crunch]