Zenith Royalty of Radio and Television 1923 T-Shirt

Founded by Ralph Matthews and Karl Hassel in Chicago, Illinois, as Chicago Radio Labs in 1918 as a small producer of amateur radio equipment. The name "Zenith" came from ZN'th, a contraction of its founders' ham radio call sign, 9ZN. They were joined in 1921 by Eugene F. McDonald, and Zenith Radio Company was formally incorporated in 1923. The fledgling company soon became known for its high-quality radios and electronic innovations. Zenith introduced the first portable radio in 1924 and would go on to innovate and define the home television market. Zenith pioneered high-contrast, flat-face picture tubes, and the multichannel television sound (MTS) stereo system, and was one of the first companies to introduce a digital HDTV system.