History of Television

Thesis Statement:

Even though TV existed in the 1920s, it was mechanical television that was just a novelty. But electronic television started in about 1939. It was around during World War 2, but after the war, everyone bought a TV and it became very popular and a major force in society.

Television Before World War II

1928

Before World War II, there was TV, but there were only 12 stations in the country, and they were part time. Only hobbyists had TV's, and it was just a novelty.

Example of 1931 mechanical TV picture:

Example of 1931 mechanical TV

1939

First "modern" station comes on the air, still on continuously

Television During World War II

1941

This is a video of the first TV commercial, which was shown in 1941.

Television After World War II

1947

As of 1947, there were still only about 93,000 TV sets in the U.S. Most were in New York and a few other cities.

1949

1949: Map of all stations in U.S.A.

1949 Cost of Television

$399 in 1949 dollars. According to this inflation calculator, that would be $4,349.22 in today's money.

Admiral ad in October 1949 Radio & Television Retailing magazine

1957

National Network in 1957

January 1957 Radio Electronics

1959

First portable TV's.

November 1959 Popular Mechanics

Annotated Bibliography

1. "Radio Movies Demonstrated," Science & Invention, Nov. 1928, p. 622.
   Description of 1928 mechanical television.
   
2. Television News, Oct. 1931.
   Magazine regarding mechanical television technology in 1931.
   
3. Austin C. Lescarboura, "Television Programs, A Tough Nut to Crack," Television News, Mar-Apr 1931, p. 12.
   Article explained the entire process of mechanical television.
   
4. Wikipedia. "WNBC." January 23, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNBC#Experimental_operations
   Shows history of WNBC-TV, which is the oldest continuous station in the U.S.
   
5. The World's First Ever TV Ad, uploaded by Dave Birss 20 Oct. 2011, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsjc2uDi1OI
   First television commercial.
   
6. "Study Shows: 93,000 Television Sets as of Sept. 1", Televiser, Sept. 1947, p. 11.
   Article explains how many televisions were in use, and where they were located.
   
7. Television on WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee Journal, Oct. 23, 1949.
   Shows TV listings in Milwaukee in 1949 on one station.
   
8. Will Batlin, "48-Year of TV Advance," Radio-Electronics, Mar. 1949, pp. 34
   Article shows locations of all U.S. TV stations as of 1949.
   
9. "Admiral Big 12 1/2 inch Television Combination", Radio-TV Retailing, Oct. 1949, p. 15.
   Ad shows how expensive TV was in 1949.
   
10. Fred Shunaman, "30 Years of Television," Radio-Electronics, Jan. 1957, p. 50.
    Article covers history of the first 30 years of TV, including a map of the TV network as of 1957.
    
11. "In Time for Christmas," Popular Mechanics, Nov. 1959, p. 222.
    Listing of products, including the first portable TV's.

Copyright 2021, Knute R. Clem.