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The Evolution of the Television
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First documented demonstration of television
On 26 January 1926 John Logie Baird gave the world's first demonstration of true television before 50 scientists in an attic room in central London. It worked using mechanical picture scanning with electronic amplification at the transmitter and at the receiver. It could be sent by radio or over ordinary telephone lines, leading to the historic trans-Atlantic transmissions of television from London to New York in February, 1928. -
The Formal Introduction of the Television at the World Fair
RCA introduced television to the American public at the 1939 World's Fair. Before the fair, they published a brochure for their dealers to explain television. In order to convince skeptical visitors that the TV set was not a trick, one set was made with a transparent case so that the internal components could be seen. As part of the exhibit, visitors could see themselves on television, and were given a card documenting the event. -
Electronic (Commercial) Black & White Television begins broadcasting in United States
On that day, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) activated new non-experimental call letters for two stations (WNBT, later renamed WNBC & WCBW) in the United States, and permitted commercial advertising. It officially marks "DAY ONE" of American television. Any broadcasting before that date was considered "experimental". -
WWII halts all television production
Though production of television receivers came to a halt during the war, television continued in a number of ways. In the United States, broadcasting continued on a limited basis throughout the war. RCA provided TRK-12 sets for use in hospitals in New York for injured servicemen, and had programs two nights a week. Both W2XBS and W2XAB broadcast civil defense programs. -
First American Post War TV
You are looking at America's first mass-produced postwar television set, the RCA 630-TS. It costed $435 initially, and then $385 later. This set is considered the "Model-T" of television, and has a 13-channel mechanical rotary tuner, which includes Channel 1. -
First Coast to Coast Color TV broadcast
The Tournament of Roses, from Pasadena, California, was telecast in color by twenty-one stations of NBC's first coast-to-coast color network. This colorcast marked a series of significant "firsts" in television history including: the first use of NBC's new mobile color TV unit; the first West-to-East transcontinental transmission of color television; This also led to many other firsts such as the first color television series and sporting event in the same year -
First presidential debate broadcasted
Massachusetts Democratic Senator John F. Kennedy and Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon face each other in a nationally televised presidential campaign debate. According to the Museum of Broadcast History, radio listeners considered Nixon’s answers to questions to be more substantive and gave Nixon the advantage over Kennedy after the first debate. By contrast, television viewers gave Kennedy the edge, as their impressions were based on how the candidate looked as much as what he said. -
The color transition
That year it was announced that over half of all network prime-time programming would be broadcast in color that fall. The first all-color prime-time season came just one year later. This led to color sets starting to sell in large numbers -
NBC becomes first 100% color network
NBC becomes the first 100% color network with the conversion of "Concentration" to color. -
The Dials on the Television
The 1970's clunky tv set featured dials and now only one antenna. Popular shows during this time period included sesame street, the brady bunch and saturday night live. -
Home VCR system is released
Agreement by Japanese manufacturers on a common standard recording format (so cassettes recorded on one manufacturer's machine would play on another's) made a consumer market possible, and the first consumer videocassette recorder was introduced by Sony in 1971. -
TV remote takes off
With the new, light, sleak and convenient structure the remote began to take of. This caused tv sales with a remote to go up and the old version's without a remote to go down. Cable TV also took off that year giving network television some more competition. -
Sony releases first flat TV
In 1998, Sony introduced its FD Trinitron sets. These were the first completely flat CRT TVs, and as such among the first flat-screen TVs on the consumer market. It was an instant hit, but within a few years had lost its popularity to upcoming LCD and plasmas. -
LCD kicks off!
The liquid crystal display becomes common until because its prices begin to drop larger sizes were available. They improved their sturcture and their visibility something that became possible with new technology. This is now the primary TV provider today
