The History of

Television
Holly Swaldi

S
Television

S Few inventions have had as much

effect on contemporary American
society as television

S Before 1947 the number of U.S. homes

with television sets could be measured
in the thousands. By the late 1990s, 98
percent of U.S. homes had at least one
television set, and those sets were on
for an average of more than seven
hours a day
 Television’s Origin

Brief History:
There was no single inventor of the television, there were many
inventors working on the idea of watching pictures on a screen

Inventors from all over the world had been working on transmitting
pictures or objects onto a screen since the 1830’s, but the first
physical television didn’t evolve until the 1900’s.
 Inventors

Five men became the most popular and prestigious

inventors of what we know today as television, giving the
history of TV a rich beginning

Paul Nipkow
John Baird
Charles Jenkins
Vladimir Zworykin
Philo Farnsworth

They each contributed significantly to the

development of television technology
 Mechanical vs. Electronic

S At the dawn of television history there were two distinct paths of

technology experimented with by researchers.
S Early inventors attempted to either build a mechanical television
system based on the technology of Paul Nipkow's rotating disks; or
they attempted to build an electronic television system using a
cathode ray tube.
S Electronic television systems worked better and eventual replaced
mechanical systems.
Cable, Remote Controls, &
Plasma
S Cable television, formerly known as
Community Antenna Television or CATV, was
born in the mountains of Pennsylvania in the
late 1940's. The first successful color
television system began commercial
broadcasting in 1953.

S June of 1956, the TV remote controller first

entered the American home. The first TV
remote control called "Lazy Bones," was
developed in 1950 by Zenith Electronics
Corporation.

S The very first prototype for a plasma display

monitor was invented in 1964.
 The First TV’s

S Monochrome (black & white)

S Sold for about fifty-five dollars, which only people of

wealth could afford

S You could only watch a play on a screen the size of a

dollar coin. The actors also had to take turns in front of
the camera, because the screen was only big enough to
see one person at a time.
 Popular Shows Through the
Decades
S 1930s- The Wizard of Oz, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, King
Kong, The Three Stooges
S 1940s- The Looney Tunes, Popeye

S 1950s- I Love Lucy, Today Show, Leave it to Beaver, Tom and Jerry

S 1960s- Days of Our Lives, Star Trek, The Brady Bunch, The Twilight
Zone
S 1970s- Charlie’s Angels, The Brady Bunch, Bewitched

S 1980s- Dallas, 60 Minutes, The Dukes of Hazard, The Cosby Show

S 1990s- The Simpsons, Law & Order, Friends, SpongeBob

SquarePants, Full House
 Today’s TV’s

S Color (high definition, blue ray)

S Popular TV Stations (ESPN, ABC, FOX, A&E TV, CBS)

S Over the Past 10 Years the Median Size of the Average

TV has increased from 34 inches to 48 inches

S Average of 3 minute long commercial breaks

S Advertising revenue provides a significant portion of the

funding for most television networls
 10 Most Popular TV Shows
2013
1. Big Bang Theory

2 .30 Rock

3. How I Met Your Mother

4. Game of Thrones

5. The Walking Dead

6. Breaking Bad

7. Castle

8. Downtown Abbey

9. The Bachelor

10. Homeland
 Impact

S Television has changed our lives in a number of ways. It has

has some positive effects with regards to education,
entertainment and providing current world events closer to the
people.

S However, there have been some negative effects that television

has brought. This is especially evident in the social and health
aspects. People who spend a lot of time watching TV also
become more accustomed to a lethargic lifestyle and interact
less with people.
 The Future of Television

S Web-Driven: Watch and record live TV over the Internet

S Competition between Internet and Television

S Narrow down to 3 channels

S Netflix, Video on Demand – BlockBusters closed down

S Will TV’s diminish?

 Works Cited

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<http://www.historyoftelevision.net>.

"Television History - The First 75 Years." Television History - The First 75 Years. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
May 2013. <http://www.tvhistory.tv>.

"The History of Television." www.personal.psu.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.

<http://www.personal.psu.edu/jtk187/art2/television2.htm>.

"The first television." NetProLive - hardware and software firsts. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 May 2013.
<http://www.netprolive.com/television.php>.

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