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- It started with a ...ribbon cutting
- The first CES was a spin-out of the Chicago Music Show, which was then the largest showcase for consumer electronics. It had just 100 exhibitors. (Copyright: International CES)
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) – one of the world’s largest fairs dedicated to technology – opened in Las Vegas this week.
The annual gathering has become a Mecca for gadget fans, attracting more than 150,000 people to wander its 170,000 sq m (1.85m sq ft) of floorspace in search of the latest trends amongst the 20,000 new products debuted each year.
In fact, it has grown so big that some now question whether it is still relevant and whether it has a future.
But over the last four decades, the annual trade show has undeniably introduced the world to many of the consumer electronic trends that shaped our world.. and many that didn’t.
How did it grow so big and why does it attract so much attention every year?
Explore these retro pictures of the CES of yesteryear.
More stunning image galleries:
Gruesome tools and intimate views
Christmas treats and the end of the world
Bathing snow monkeys, a tweeting pope and elephant dung coffee.
Architectural giants and a new way of seeing the Moon
Red pandas, Saturn and Nature’s unstoppable forces
The world's largest bloom, the world's largest aquarium and the world's fastest sailing boat
Venice under water, a total eclipse and a pedestrian-avoiding car
Space shuttle, Baumgartner and Hurricane Sandy
The best of 2012 galleries:
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