Your Daily Facts about Television
The invention of the television was the result of the work by many inventors, scientists and engineers in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Many inventors made technological breakthroughs that were used by other inventors to successfully make working television systems. The first working television systems were electromechanical and used a motor-generator. Electronic television systems or all-electronic television systems do not have or use a motor-generator. These television history facts include some of the most notable milestones in the development of television, but many other inventors that are not mentioned here played critical roles in the invention of the television.
1884 – The first electromechanical television was proposed and patented by Paul Julius Gottlieb Nipkow. Nipkow never built a working model of the electromechanical television.
1888 – Liquid Crystals were accidentally discovered by Friedrich Reinitzer. Liquid crystals were a scientific curiosity for about 80 years before they were used to build liquid crystal displays (LCD).
1897 – The first Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) was built by Karl Ferdinand Braun.
1925 – John Logie Baird was the inventor who built the world’s first working television system. The world’s first working television system was electromechanical.
1928 – The world’s first successful color transmission by John Logie Baird. The color transmission was made using an electromechanical television system.
1928 – The first working electronic television (all-electronic) was built by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. The electronic television (all-electronic) system did not use or have the motor-generator that was used in the electromechanical television systems.
1936 – The world’s first analog high definition TV (HDTV or HD) regular service was started in Britain in 1936.
1964 – The first working liquid crystal display (LCD) was built by George H. Heilmeier. The original LCD displays were based on what is called dynamic scattering mode (DSM).
1964 – The first flat plasma display panel (PDP) was invented by Donald Bitzer, Gene Slottow and Robert Willson.
1972 – The first active-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) panel was produced by Westinghouse.
1977 – The first true all LED flat panel television TV screen was developed by J. P. Mitchell.
1982 – Seiko introduces the world’s first LCD TV watch.
1982 – The first mass-produced pocket television was the Sony Watchman FD-210. The Sony Watchman was also the first flat CRT television in production.
1988 – The Sharp Corporation develops the world’s first 14-inch color TFT LCD TV. The LCD TV model was called the Crystaltron.
1995 – The world’s largest LED display, the Fremont Street Experience, in Las Vegas is over 1,500 ft. long and 90 ft. high at the peak.
1996 – The first public digital high-definition television (HDTV or HD) broadcast in the United States. The official US public launch of the HDTV digital broadcasting system is technically considered to be 1998. *HD ready refers to the abilities of television receivers to display high-definition pictures.
2008 – The world’s largest Plasma TV is a 150 inch Plasma TV made by Panasonic, standing 6 ft high and 11 ft wide.
2009 – The world’s largest LED high-definition video display screen in the world is the Mitsubishi Diamond Vision display at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. The LED HD display measures 160 ft wide and 72 ft high and is nicknamed the “JerryTron” after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
2010 – The world’s largest Plasma 3D TV is a 152 inch Plasma TV made by Panasonic
2010 – The world’s first 3D LED HDTV released by Samsung (Samsung 3D LED 7000). Announced in February, 2010. LG announced the release of their first 3D LED HDTV, the LG LX9500 in March, 2010.
The first mechanical television station in America was called W3XK. This station was the brainchild of Charles Francis Jenkins, who is also remembered as the father of American television. The station aired its first broadcast on 2nd July, 1928.
WRGB television station in New York is the first American station that has the honor of being a continuously operating station from 1926, when television was invented, till date. The station began as W2XB, but the name was changed to WRGB in 1942, in memory of Mr. Walter R. G. Baker, who was a leader in the radio and television industry.
The first commercially produced television sets were based on the mechanical television system. These sets were made from John Baird’s designs for television. The sets were shown to the public in September of 1928.
The first ever American electronic television sets were produced in 1938 and were an instant hit.
The first ever remote control for television was invented in 1948. Known as the ‘Tele Zoom’, it cannot be called a remote control in the true sense of the word, as the device could only enlarge the picture on the tube and not change any channels or turn the television set on and off. The Flash-matic from Zenith, produced in 1955, was the first ever real remote control that could do all of the above and was completely wireless.
‘The Queen’s Messenger’ is believed to be the first television program in America. It was broadcast by WRGB station in 1928. We say believed because the program was broadcast to only 4 television sets in existence at the time, and thus the ambiguity.
1st July, 1941 is the day when the first ever commercial broadcast took place in America. All broadcasts prior to this day were regarded as experimental by the FCC, thus making this day very important in American TV history.
1st July, 1941 is also the day when the first American advertisement was aired. The commercial was for a Bulova Watch and lasted all of 10 seconds. It was aired on the NBC network.