The document discusses the history and components of cathode ray tubes, which are used in televisions and computer monitors. It describes how William Crookes invented the original cathode ray tube in the 1860s-1870s. The screen of a cathode ray tube is made of glass with pixels containing phosphors. Elements like copper, yttrium, and silver are added to the phosphors to produce different colors - copper produces green, yttrium produces red, and silver produces blue. Ferdinand Braun later modified the cathode ray tube by adding a phosphor screen.