Did you know the eight track tape was designed by a jet plane designer? While William Powell Lear is best known for his jet, the Learjet, he also developed a way to create eight channels (tracks) of magnetic recording tape.

Do you remember your favorite Eight-Track?? Here is the History of the Eight-Track…

1965

Eight Tracks Invented

William Powell Lear, who was famous for developing jet planes, created the first eight track.

1966

Lear and Ford Unite

After creating the eight track, Lear sold Ford on the idea of installing an eight-track tape player in many of their cars.

1967

The Wildly-Popular Eight Track

By 1967, the eight track was already on the rise, having seen over 65,000 eight track players sold.

1982

Eight Tracks Phased Out

Past their prime and eclipsed by new forms of listening technology, eight track tape players ceased to be manufactured or retailed.

1988

The Last Big Hit

Fleetwood Mac’s Greatest Hits compilation was the last big-name release on an eight track.