What are some important events on a timeline of TV history?


Quick Answer

From its initial conception in 19th century Germany, the television has had many exciting developments. The first successful television sets and broadcasting stations were made in the late 1920s in the United States. The development and implementation of AT&T's coaxial cables allowed more content to be produced and distributed across the nation. Another major development was the switch from black and white to full-color picture.

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Full Answer

Though he never completed a prototype of it, the first patent used in the creation of television was conceived by German science student Paul Gottleib Nipkow in 1884. In 1926, London scientist John Baird used this patent to create the first TV to transmit a moving image. The first television drama, "The Queen's Messenger," was a 40-minute melodrama with two characters. It was broadcast on September 11, 1928 in New York.

The first commercial to air on television occurred during a live-cast of a football game on July 1, 1941. This milestone forever changed the ways television would be produced; currently, most television programs are funded by sales from commercials. The television remote as we now know it was first developed in 1955 and was called the "Flash-matic." The "Golden Age of Television", a 12-year period from 1948 to 1960, saw the rise of the sitcom, western and variety show. Reality, or unscripted, television did not start until the late 1980s.

Other important moments in television history include the first broadcast presidential debate (Nixon v. Kennedy) in 1960, the moon-landing in 1969 and "in the trenches" reporting of the Vietnam War.

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