The Retro Wormhole presents
The opening crawl. The first power-up. The record you wore out.
Revisit the moments that made your kind of retro.
Tune your time machine
A quick nostalgia check
17 time capsules · open one to explore
A curated journey, 1969–2000. Release dates and regions are shown on each card; some milestones are dated by year or month. Sources are inside every time capsule.
No time capsules match. Try another decade or hit Reset to explore everything.
26 September 1969 · UK album release
The Beatles
A record for the long way home.
The Beatles release Abbey Road—the last album they recorded together, though Let It Be reached shops later.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
1972 · Arcade release
Atari
Two paddles. One more game.
Atari releases Pong. Its wonderfully simple bat-and-ball setup turns a screen into a place to compete.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
March 1973 · Album release
Pink Floyd
Put the headphones on.
Pink Floyd releases The Dark Side of the Moon, after developing the work onstage before completing the album.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
25 May 1977 · US theatrical release
A galaxy opens up
The summer the stars got closer.
Star Wars begins its US theatrical run. Spaceships, droids, and a farm boy’s adventure become a new world for moviegoers to explore.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
1981 · Arcade release
Nintendo
Before the living room, the arcade.
Nintendo begins distributing Donkey Kong as a coin-operated arcade game. Think crowded cabinets, short turns, and the urge to try again.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
15 July 1983 · Japan launch
Nintendo
The NES story starts in Japan.
Nintendo releases the Family Computer in Japan. The redesigned Nintendo Entertainment System follows in the United States in 1985.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
25 June 1984 · US album release
Prince & The Revolution
A whole summer in a record sleeve.
Prince & The Revolution release Purple Rain. File this one under music that makes a room feel bigger.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
3 July 1985 · US theatrical release
Marty. Doc. A very unusual car.
Your ride to 1985 is here.
Back to the Future hits US theatres. A time-travelling DeLorean makes the trip between 1985 and 1955 an adventure worth revisiting.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
18 October 1985 · New York test launch
Nintendo Entertainment System
Press Start on a new chapter.
The NES begins its US rollout with a New York test launch. This is not the Japan launch or the later nationwide rollout—those are separate milestones.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
3 March 1986 · Album release
Metallica
Turn the dial a little higher.
Metallica releases its third studio album, Master of Puppets. A landmark stop for anyone exploring the band’s catalogue.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
1989 · North American introduction
Nintendo
The road trip gets an upgrade.
Nintendo introduces Game Boy in North America, with Tetris bundled in. Pocket-sized gaming becomes part of the journey.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
1991 · US launch
Nintendo
Welcome to the 16-bit years.
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System launches in the United States. A fresh generation of cartridges joins the shelf.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
24 September 1991 · Album release
Nirvana
A Pacific Northwest time capsule.
Nirvana releases Nevermind. The band’s official timeline marks this release separately from its climb to number one in January 1992.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
11 June 1993 · US theatrical release
Welcome to the park
The big screen gets prehistoric.
Jurassic Park opens in US theatres. Dinosaurs and a very ill-advised theme park give movie night a new sense of scale.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
3 December 1994 · Japan launch
Sony
A new disc starts spinning.
The original PlayStation launches in Japan. Its North American launch follows on 9 September 1995.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
29 September 1996 · US launch
Nintendo
A new dimension of play.
Nintendo 64 launches in the United States alongside Super Mario 64. A new shape of controller meets a new kind of adventure.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?
26 October 2000 · North American launch
Sony
Games and movie night, together.
PlayStation 2 reaches North America after its March debut in Japan. Its DVD playback puts films and games in one machine.
Read the source ↗Memory prompt: who would you share this one with?