In the 1950s, a typical American home cost the modern equivalent of just $95,000.
But putting a new color television inside it cost over $11,000.
The mid-century economy was an inverse of today's: technology and communication were true luxuries, while the foundations of life—housing and education—were highly affordable.
While the new RCA CT-100 color television retailed for $1,000 in 1954, even a standard black-and-white set cost around $250, or roughly $3,100 in modern money.
Buying a TV was a major financial milestone that often required financing and months of savings, which is why the appliance was treated as the prized centerpiece of the living room.
It is one reason TV content from this epoch was a higher caliber and depth. Simply put the ability to even see the programming was a financial barrier.

Communication was just as costly. A three-minute long-distance phone call from New York to Los Angeles in the early 1950s cost about $2.50. Factoring in inflation, that is over $30 for three minutes of voice chat.
Families routinely used kitchen timers to ensure calls ended before the next expensive minute ticked over, and "long distance" was reserved for emergencies or major announcements.
Yet, while consumer electronics drained savings, the actual cost of living was remarkably low in real terms.
These were the old lines of prosperity.
The median American home value in 1950 was just $7,354.
With the median home price in the United States now exceeding $400,000, mid-century housing was objectively cheap.
A sole breadwinner could often purchase a brand-new house in the expanding suburbs for less than twice the median household income, a ratio rarely seen in modern real estate.
Higher education was similarly accessible. Public university tuition in the 1950s was almost negligible, with many state schools charging under $100 a year in fees. Even elite private institutions were bargains.
In 1950, a year of tuition at Harvard University cost $600. Adjusted for inflation, that is about $7,500 today—roughly one-eighth of Harvard’s current tuition rate. A student could realistically pay for an Ivy League education by working a summer job.
It probably will stand on its own as a legitimate trade, but let's not pretend it wasn't made with a gun to Hawthorn's head.
Give us Schubert/Butler or we match and you lose multiple first round picks.
Restricted Free Agency should be axed first thing Thursday.
Thanks to Finn Maginness for giving us some great performances in the brown and gold!
The game he neutralised Daicos won't soon be forgotten. For a while there Finn went on a tear, shutting down oppo players left and right. A genuine weapon, the likes of which no other team seemed to have in their arsenal. Also the grit and resilience to fight back from his life-threatening kidney injury in Tassie, that needs to be highlighted. Bloody good effort. We often overlook how brutal this game can be, hey?
Ultimately I don't think we saw all Finn could do at senior level - rarely plugged into the midfield despite consistently dominating in that role for Box Hill. It's gonna be annoying if the Dogs unleash him in that way to good effect. He was a critical contributor to in Box Hill's premiership season this year.
I think this is the right move for Maginness. He's been very patient and very professional and deserves a better crack at senior footy. We know how good he is, and he'll have a better chance to prove it more consistently. Go well, Finn! (except against us!)
John Urschel just showed that the growth factor for Gaussian elimination with partial pivoting is ~n^{1/2} with high probability, resolving a long-standing conjecture of Nick Trefethen! https://t.co/FraoYI6yh2
Essendon fumbled the Merret deal so bad, last years offer was way better and they literally finished last just to keep him there to do nothing.
Two first-round draft picks (selections 10 and 22 at the time), a future first-round draft pick, and midfielder Henry Hustwaite.
@GoTizzGo Plus learn and develop under:
Gunston, Lewis & David Hale (302, 102, 237 games) at the Hawks
or
Walter , Ugle-Hagan & Read (48, 70 & 40 games) at the Suns.
I know which I would prefer
End of the road for Box Hill Hawks premiership captain Stu Horner. Spent 11 years at the City Oval. For a long time toiled away in anonymity. Then came this year ... 100th game, flag, team-of-the-year skipper. What a career.
https://t.co/5Y0hDGCPb8