The time-viewer was a device that allowed people to view the past. Initially, the time-viewer was used by police and prosecutors, as the cost of using it was quite high. Soon after, it was put toward more lurid uses, recording sensational murders and sex-scandals for legal and bootleg sale. This source of income made it possible for the time-viewer's use for academic purposes, as historians, astronomers, and cosmologists used the time-viewer to investigate history and the universe. Recordings of these events were also recorded, again to pay for the viewer's use.