Nixie tubes were a common form of numeric display for electronic equipment from the mid-1950's through the early 1970's, when they were supplanted by 7-segment LED displays.
The basic principles behind Nixie tubes live on in applications both low tech (neon light bulbs, as are used in nightlights) and high tech (plasma display panels), but Nixies themselves have long been considered obsolete- you can now build your own nixie clock with easy to build kits. Let the old times come back.
