Television History - The First 75 Years
 
 

FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

General instructions:  Click on the links below to get your answer.  Be sure to look at the entire page you are sent to, as the answer you seek may be at the bottom of the page!  If you do not find a complete answer, or have further questions, please e-mail me >>   tom@tvhistory.tv

Most answers apply to USA, not the world.

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WEBSITE QUESTIONS:

What will I find on this website?

WHO QUESTIONS:

Who Invented Television? 
Comment: There are many wonderful sites that tackle this specific question.  The response is not a simple one -- what you accept for an answer may depend on your nationality! This link is an 11-minute streaming video ("Real Player" software needed), for either 56K Dial-up or Broadband connections (click the appropriate knob on the TV-set to start the movie).  Video courtesy of Paul Schatzkin.  Take time to visit his  "farnovision" site and learn more about Philo T. Farnsworth.

Who was the first USA TV Star ??

Who was the first female broadcaster - newsreader? 

FIRST QUESTIONS:  

First Ideas and Drawings of TV?

First Picture on Electronic TV?  (Courtesy Paul Schatzkin)

First Mechanical Television Station in USA? 

First Television Station? (continuously operating)

First Television Set?

First Electronic TV Sold in USA?

First Remote Control?

First Television Show?

First Game Show or Quiz Show?

First Private Experimental TV Viewing?

First TV Newscaster?

First Televised Heavyweight Fight?

First Dramatic Program on Television?

First (in the world) Remote TV News Broadcast?

First Network Television Broadcast?

First Cable Network? (HBO-1972)   

First Successful Public TV Broadcast?

First Commercial?

First toy commercial?

First mechanical color TV?

First color program or show broadcast?

First national color broadcast?

First color program recorded by videotape?   

First color television camera?   

First electronic color TV?

First electronic projection TV?

First automobile TV?

First TV Guide?

First Day of US Commercial TV Programming?

First American Pre-war Electronic Sets Advertised?

First Post WW-II Electronic Set Sold?

First transistorized TV set?

First Televised Sports Event In America? 
  (A college baseball game)

First Satellite Broadcast?   
 Site has ACTUAL audio recording of Russian Sputnik-1, from Oct 4, 1957 !!! 

First VTR (Video Tape Recorder)?

"HOW MANY?" QUESTIONS:

How Many TV sets have been sold?

How many TV stations were there in 1939?

How many Pre World-War-II television sets exist?

How many TV Guides were printed in the early years?

"WHERE?" QUESTIONS:

Where are museums that display old TV sets?  

Where can I buy copies of old TV shows and commercials? 
 

Where do I find information about popular TV shows and general programming? 
Comment:  There are many sites to visit.  Start here.  I'll list more later.

Where can I buy hard-to-find antique television sets? 
        Try this site, too!

Where can I get antique televisions fixed? 

Where can I buy MODERN versions of the Predicta Television? 

Where can I find HDTV Program Schedules, Reviews, Model Numbers, Manufacturers, Dealers? 

Where can I watch streaming television video via the internet?   

Where can I find famous quotes relating to TV-radio-computers and the Internet?   

"WHAT?" QUESTIONS:

What Ever Happened to the old CHANNEL-1 ??
 

What was the "TELEVISION FREEZE"? 
 (Read the opening paragraphs of this website - They are talking about the "TV Freeze")
 

What was the smallest TV set ever made?
 

What was the most unusual TV set design ever released?
 

What is the history of Color TV?
(Other links to be added on this subject area)  Try this, too:  Color TV History
 

What is the longest running TV show?

What are the Rules -  Regulations - Standards - Ethics for Radio & TV? - (FCC Website!)

What are the 1998-99-00-01-02 TV Prime Time Schedules & TV Magazines and Journals? 

What are the TV Broadcasting Awards - Emmy - Golden Globe - Peabody? 

What were the START DATES of USA television stations? 

What are the Television Standards for each country in the WORLD? 

What are the 50 greatest movies ever shown on television or video? 
Comment:  Subjective opinion of TV Guide - Also has link to Top-100 Movie List
See how many you have watched over the years!

What are the Top-rated TV Shows of All-Time?

What are Nielsen Ratings? 

What were the American-TV Set-Builder's Years of Operation?

What are the 1930s to 1950s TV Selling Prices?

"WHEN?" QUESTION:

When did television begin broadcasting for each country in the world?     These are commercial electronic television start dates - not experimental electronic, or experimental mechanical broadcasting dates.

For example, USA began experimental mechanical broadcasting in the mid-to-late 1920s, and experimental electronic (Cathode-ray-tube) broadcasting in 1939, this site shows the 1941 commercial start date.  Don't be confused by the "late" set of dates shown in the list.

"HOW?" QUESTIONS:

How did the "mechanical TV" systems of the 1920s work?

How does modern Television work today? 

How does HDTV or DIGITAL TV work? 
 

How did the "mechanical color TV systems" of the 1940s-50s Work?

OTHER QUESTIONS:

Is there a database kept of rare television sets? 

Is there a database kept of rare TV-set collectors? 

PURE TV TRIVIA:

Dozens of odd TV facts

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