The CRT display was invented in 1897 and was widely used in early computers and televisions. It works by using an electron gun to produce a beam that illuminates phosphors on the screen, producing light to display an image. The first color CRT monitors used an arrangement of three electron guns and color phosphors to produce a full color image. While CRTs provided high quality images at a low cost, they were large, heavy, and produced electromagnetic fields, leading to their replacement by flat panel displays.