Your mom and dad or maybe your grandparents had a little tin box or a plastic case full of these little gems of the record industry. Th 45 rpm record. It was tis week in 1949 that they were invented.

Phonograph records are generally described by their diameter ("12-inch", "10-inch", "7-inch", etc.), the rotational speed at which they are played ("33⅓ r.p.m.", "78", "45", etc.).

The commercial rivalry between RCA Victor and Columbia Records led to RCA Victor's introduction of what it had intended to be a competing vinyl format, the 7-inch 45 rpm record. For a two-year period from 1948 to 1950, record companies and consumers faced uncertainty over which of these formats would ultimately prevail in what was known as the "War of the Speeds". In 1949 Capitol and Decca adopted the new format. By January 1950. The 45 rpm size was gaining in popularity,and Columbia issued its first 45s in February 1951. By 1954, 200 million 45s had been sold.

YEes they still make 45's and 12 inch vinyl albums which are very popular amongst collectors. But to be able to grab a 60 year old record and put it on the turntable is still something special. So here is an opportunity to see a 45 rpm in action in case you don't own any.

But for those of us that remember the 45 rom record; Do you remember the very first 45 you ever bought?

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