WIX Advertiser (3:30)

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Lindsey Graham (4:02)

From Noiser and Airship I'm Lindsey Graham and this is History. Daily history is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is July 15, 1983, Nintendo's first multi game console. It's a late evening in November 1981 in Kyoto, Japan, 18 months before the launch of the Famicom. Nintendo designer Masayuki Uemura warily lifts himself from a chair in his living room as the phone begins to ring. He stretches his back and then hurries to pick up the receiver because he can already guess who it is. It's not unusual for Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi to call after working hours. Hiroshi has a reputation for disturbing his senior staff after he's had a few drinks. But he also has a knack for clever ideas, ideas that might just grow the business. Nintendo has a long history. It was founded in 1889 by Hiroshi's great grandfather and as a playing card manufacturer. And it only ventured into video games after Hiroshi took the reins. Under his leadership, Nintendo began building large cabinets for video game arcades, and it hit the big time with the release of donkey Kong in 1981. But recently, Hiroshi has set his sights on a new frontier. He wants to Transport the arcade experience into people's homes. And tonight, on the phone, Hiroshi is brimming with excitement. He asks Masayuki to lead the design of a new home console. But this device will be unlike anything Nintendo has made before. Instead of a few preloaded games, it will use interchangeable cartridges. And this means customers will be able to buy new games from an ever expanding library of titles. And they'll keep coming back to Nintendo for more. Over the next few months, Masayuki throws himself into the project, working 18 hour days to meet Hiroshi's vision. It's a daunting task. Nintendo's previous arcade cabinets and home consoles were designed to just run one game. But this new machine must support many. And each type of game places its own unique demands on the circuitry. So after several disappointing prototypes, Masayuki comes to a conclusion. A single microchip is not going to be enough. The console will need two. But that raises a new the chips are expensive, and the only way to bring down the price is to commit to buying 3 million of them. This raises the stakes. Just to break even, Nintendo will have to sell millions of consoles. And determined to keep the retail price low, Masayuki trims the console's features. It has no keyboard, no disk drive, no screen, and minimal memory. Not only does this save money on manufacturing, Masayuki also hopes it'll entice technophobe parents who might otherwise be scared away by all the extra hardware. The result is a simple box shaped device that plugs into an existing television. But there's one component the Masayuki won't compromise on the controller. It uses a straightforward rectangular case with a four prong directional pad and four buttons. The design's simplicity means that the new console can handle two controllers at once, allowing multiplayer games. But although it's Masayuki's job to design the hardware, President Hiroshi often weighs in with his own opinions. And during one shared car ride back from a meeting in Osaka, Hiroshi spots a billboard advertising a red and white television antenna. The colors instantly jump out at Hiroshi, and he turns to Masayuki with another request. Their new console must also be red and white. Masayuki takes this order back to the engineers working on the hardware, while Nintendo's game designers get to work on the software. But if anything, their task is even harder. They have to program games without knowing exactly what the new console can do, and as a result, they focus on only a handful of games they're already familiar with. They convert Nintendo's arcade games into a format they hope will work on the home console, but the programmers make slow progress until they decide to focus their efforts on just three Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr and Popeye. These are the games that will launch with the console. With the hardware and software all but finished, the only thing that remains is to give the new machine a name. But Nintendo's branding team is stumped. Nothing feels right for this revolutionary multi game device. The breakthrough only comes when Masayuki's wife asks what he's working on. Masayuki explains that the new machine is not a personal computer, but a games computer that the whole family can play. His wife then suggests a name that's been staring at them. The whole family computer, or Famicom for short. Less than two years after Nintendo president Hiroshi's late night phone call, Masayuki will declare Famicom ready for launch. But he won't realize until it's too late that hidden deep in the motherboard is a flaw, one that will plunge Nintendo into crisis history Daily is sponsored by Indeed. In your business, you're likely working hard to slowly move people through what they call the funnel, from awareness to consideration to conversion. But have you ever thought that's the exact same funnel you have to move people through when hiring? Make them aware of your job, get them to consider applying, then convert them into a great new hire. But why move them slowly? Indeed is all you need to fill your funnel fast. Because in the minute I've been Talking to you, 23 hires were made on Indeed, according to Indeed Data worldwide. And with Sponsored Jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates so you can reach the people you want faster. There's no reason to wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed and listeners of the show will get a $75 sponsored job credit. 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Nintendo Historian (10:22)

You set the gold standard for your business. Your website should do the same. WIX puts you at the helm so you can enjoy the creative freedom of designing your site just the way you want. Want someone to bounce your ideas off? Talk with AI to create a beautiful site together. Whatever your business, manage it from one place and tie it all together with a personalized domain name. Gear up for success with the brand that says you best. You can do it yourself on Wix.

Lindsey Graham (10:59)

It's July 15, 1983 in Nintendo's head office in Kyoto, less than two years after work began on Nintendo's family computer, 55 year old company president Hiroshi Yamauchi nurses a whiskey as he stares down at a small red and white console on his desk. It's been a long day. The family computer, Nintendo's most ambitious product yet, went on sale for the first time this morning. Hiroshi has spent hours shuttling between launch events and meeting excited gamers eager to try the new device. Now he's waiting to hear how many they sold on the first day. There's a knock on the door and Hiroshi's secretary enters. She quietly puts a sheet of paper on his desk and then slips out without a word. Hiroshi quickly realizes why she didn't linger. The paper contains today's sales figures, and they're not good. Hiroshi isn't surprised, though. Nintendo hasn't spent much money on advertising. Instead, Hiroshi is banking on word of mouth to sell the new console. He has arranged for department stores to set up demonstration units, Famicoms plugged into TV sets that customers can play for free. It might take time, but Hiroshi is confident that interest will will build. And slowly it does. Over the next few weeks, the Famicom begins to gain traction in Japan. Then, in September, Hiroshi plays his ace card. Nintendo releases a new game for the Famicom, and it's the first that's been specifically made for the device. Rather than a converted arcade game, Mario Brothers stars Donkey Kong's heroic plumber Mario and his brother Luigi, and it's a smash hit. Sales of the Famicom skyrocketed, but success brings a new problem. As sales rise, so too do reports of faulty consoles. Soon, Nintendo's testing lab is flooded with devices returned by unhappy customers. The console's lead designer, Masayuki Uamura, is tasked with finding the problem and coming up with a solution. But it seems that the defective consoles have been manufactured properly, so the issue must be in the design itself. Eventually, just before the new year holiday, Masayuki finally discovers the flaw in the Famicom's design. Under certain data conditions, the circuitry becomes overloaded and the machine crashes. The only way to fix the problem is to replace the problematic component in every single device. Nintendo's boss, Hiroshi Yamauchi, makes a bold decision to order a complete product recall. Store shelves are cleared. Stories of consoles can be retrofitted with new circuitry. While every customer who's already bought a Famicom is offered a replacement for free. Over the next few weeks, Nintendo repairs More than a half million consoles. This logistical feat costs the equivalent of millions of dollars. But Nintendo is praised for its commitment to quality. And customers return in droves. In June 1984, Nintendo sells its one million millionth Famicom. The company now dominates Japan's home console industry with a 90% market share. So to expand, Hiroshi looks beyond Nintendo's home country to an even bigger prize. North America. But in the United States, the video game industry is in flux. American gamers have been inundated with poor quality hardware and games. And it's culminated in a collapse of the industry known as the great Video Game crash. Even market leader Atari has been forced to send hundreds of thousands of now worthless games to landfills. But Hiroshi sees an opportunity. If Nintendo positions itself as a manufacturer focused on quality over quantity, it might just win over the American customer. And to help make the Famicom more appealing to the American market, designer Masayuki gives his console an overhaul. The cartridge slot is moved to the front, mimicking the new VCR players that are growing popular in the United States. The toy, like red and white color scheme is replaced with sleek gray and black plastic. And stenciled on the front and red writing is a new name. The Nintendo Entertainment System, or nes. But just like the Famicom did in Japan, the NES launches in America to a lukewarm reception. American retailers are still wary of video game consoles after the crash. And they're unwilling to willing to take a chance stocking Nintendo's new hardware. But once again, word of mouth proves Nintendo's savior. And just like before, it's Mario who rides to the rescue. Bundled with every NES is a new game, Super Mario Bros. Its ingenious side scrolling levels, colorful graphics and catchy musical score make it an instant classic. Mario becomes a household name, and everyone wants to play the game. In just six months, American customers snap up more than 3 million NES consoles. The following year, they buy 6 million. And nine out of every 10 video game consoles sold in the United States will be an nes. And soon, one third of all American households will own one. This spectacular success will kickstart Nintendo into a period of rapid growth. And what was once a Japanese playing card manufacturer will become one of the world's best known brands.

Chico Felitti (16:10)

Everyone has that friend who seems kind of perfect for Patty. That friend was Desiree. Until one day I texted her and.

Abby (16:20)

She was not getting the text.

Lindsey Graham (16:21)

So I went to Instagram. She has no Instagram anymore. And Facebook? No Facebook anymore.

Chico Felitti (16:27)

Desiree was gone. And there was one person who knew the answer.

Lindsey Graham (16:31)

I am a spiritual person, a magical.

Chico Felitti (16:34)

Person, a witch, a gorgeous Brazilian influencer called Cat Tourists, but who was hiding a secret from Wondery. Based on my smash hit podcast From Brazil comes a new series, Don't Cross Cat, about a search that led me to a mystery in a Texas suburb.

Lindsey Graham (16:53)

I'm calling to check on the two missing Brazilian girl, maybe get some undercover crew there. The family are freaking out. They are lost.

Chico Felitti (17:01)

I'm Chico Felitti. You can listen to Don't Cross Cat on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Abby (17:09)

Today is the worst day of Abby's life. The 17 year old cradles her newborn son in her arms. They all saw how much I loved him. They didn't have to take him from me between 1945 in the early 1970s, families shipped their pregnant teenage daughters to maternity homes and forced them to secretly place their babies for adoption in hidden corners across America. It's still happening. My parents had me locked up in the godparent home against my will. They worked with them to manipulate me and to steal my son away from me. The godparent home is the brainchild of controversial preacher Jerry Falwell, the father of the modern evangelical right and the founder of Liberty University, where powerful men, emboldened by their faith, determine who gets to be a parent and who must give their child away. Follow Liberty Lost on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts.

Lindsey Graham (18:18)

It's September 25, 2003, inside the Nintendo factory in Kyoto, Japan, more than 20 years after the launch of the Famicom. 60 year old Masayuki Uemura smiles as a small red and white box moves slowly down a conveyor belt. He hasn't seen a Famicom in years. Since its debut, Masayuki has turned his design genius to the development of Nintendo's next generation consoles and games. But today he's returned to the factory for a very special milestone in the company's history. The final day of Famicom production. Over the last two decades, the Famicom has been succeeded by more powerful consoles. The Super Famicom and Super NES, the N64, and most recently, the GameCube. But even as new technology marched forward and made the Famicom obsolete, it continued to have a cult following in Japan. So every year, Nintendo continued to manufacture a small number for its loyal fans. Now, though, they're finally pulling the plug. Under the bright factory lights, a technician removes the very last Famicom from the conveyor belt. To a ripple of applause, he records the serial number and gently places the console inside a box. But this Famicom is not destined for a store shelf. It's bound for the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of of Photography. There, it'll become part of a special exhibition celebrating Nintendo's influence on video games and Japanese culture. The Famicom has earned its place in history. It ignited Nintendo's rapid rise, transforming the company from a minor game maker into one of the largest entertainment companies in the world. Over the years, Nintendo has created some of the most popular franchises in video game history, including Zelda, Pokemon, and Animal Crossing. But the most iconic of them all is still Mario, the mustachioed plumber that got his big break when Nintendo launched the Famicom in Japan on July 15, 1983. If you're interested in more of the story of Nintendo's rise to the top of the gaming industry, listen to season 37 of my other podcast business Mover Leveling Up Nintendo Next on History Daily. July 16, 1945 A New Mexico bombing range is the site of the first detonation of an atomic bomb from Noiser and Airship. This is History Daily. Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Mohamed Shazi Sound design by Molly Bachelor Supervising Sound Designer, Matthew Filler Music by Throng. This episode is written and researched By Angus Gavin McCarran Edited by Scott Reeves Managing Producer, Emily Burke Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.

Abby (21:11)

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WIX Advertiser (21:17)

Did you not hear the song.

Lindsey Graham (21:21)

How.

Abby (21:21)

Could you not be a member and save up to 20%? That's less than 50%. But it's more than zero percent. You're welcome. See, the math is mathing. Save up to 20% on hundreds of thousands of hotels with hotels dot com.