Happy Birthday to the Compact Disc

It was Aug. 17, 1982, and row upon row of palm-sized plates with a rainbow sheen began rolling off an assembly line near Hanover, Germany.

An engineering marvel at the time, today they are instantly recognizable as Compact Discs, a product that turns 25 years old today - and whose future is increasingly in doubt in an age of iPods and digital downloads. (more)