1831Joseph Henry's and Michael Faraday's work withelectromagnetism jumpstarts the era of electronic communication. 1862 First Still Image TransferredAbbe Giovanna Caselli invents his Pantelegraph and becomes the first person to transmit a still image over wires. 1873Scientists May and Smith experiment with selenium and light, this reveals the possibilty for inventors to transform images into electronic signals. 1876Boston civil servant George Carey was thinking about complete television systems and in 1877 he put forward drawings for what he called a selenium camera that would allow people to see by electricity.

Eugen Goldstein coins the term "cathode rays" to describe the light emitted when an electric current was forced through a vacuum tube.

Late 1870sScientists and engineers like Paiva, Figuier, and Senlecq were suggesting alternative designs for Telectroscopes. 1880Inventors Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison theorize about telephone devices that transmit image as well as sound.

Bell's Photophone used light to transmit sound and he wanted to advance his device for image sending.

George Carey builds a rudimentary system with light-sensitive cells.

1881Sheldon Bidwell experiments with his Telephotography that was similar to Bell's Photophone. 1884 18 Lines of ResolutionPaul Nipkow sends images over wires using a rotating metal disk technology calling it the electric telescope with 18 lines of resolution. 1900 And We Called It TelevisionAt the World's Fair in Paris, the first International Congress of Electricity was held. That is where Russian Constantin Perskyi made the first known use of the word "television."

Soon after 1900, the momentum shifted from ideas and discussions to physical development of television systems. Two major paths in the development of a television system were pursued by inventors.

Inventors attempted to build mechanical television systems based on Paul Nipkow's rotating disks or
Inventors attempted to build electronic television systems based on thecathode ray tube developed independently in 1907 by English inventor A.A. Campbell-Swinton and Russian scientist Boris Rosing.
American Charles Jenkins and Scotsman John Baird followed the mechanical model while
Philo Farnsworth, working independently in San Francisco, and Russian emigrant Vladimir Zworkin, working for Westinghouse and later RCA, advanced the electronic model.
Electronic television systems eventual replaced mechanical systems.

1906 - First Mechanical Television SystemLee de Forest invents the Audion vacuum tube that proved essential to electronics. The Audion was the first tube with the ability to amplify signals.

Boris Rosing combines Nipkow's disk and a cathode ray tube and builds the first working mechanical TV system.

1907 Early Electronic SystemsCampbell Swinton and Boris Rosing suggest using cathode ray tubes to transmit images. Independent of each other, they both develop electronic scanning methods of reproducing images. 1923Vladimir Zworkin patents his iconscope a TV camera tube based on Campbell Swinton's ideas. The iconscope, which he called an electric eye becomes the cornerstone for further television development. Zworkin later develops the kinescope for picture display (aka the receiver). 1924/25 First Moving Silhouette ImagesAmerican Charles Jenkins and John Baird from Scotland, each demonstrate the mechanical transmissions of images over wire circuits.

John Baird becomes the first person to transmit moving silhouette images using a mechanical system based on Nipkow's disk.

Charles Jenkin built his Radiovisor and 1931 and sold it as a kit for consumers to put together (see photo to right).

Vladimir Zworkin patents a color television system.

1926 30 Lines of ResolutionJohn Baird operates a television system with 30 lines of resolution system running at 5 frames per second. 1927Bell Telephone and the U.S. Department of Commerce conduct the first long distance use of television that took place between Washington D.C. and New York City on April 9th. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover commented, "Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight for the first time in the world's history. Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance in a new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown."

Philo Farnsworth, files for a patent on the first complete electronic television system, which he called the Image Dissector.

1928The Federal Radio Commission issues the first television station license (W3XK) to Charles Jenkins. 1929Vladimir Zworkin demonstrates the first practical electronic system for both the transmission and reception of images using his new kinescope tube.

John Baird opens the first TV studio, however, the image quality was poor.

1930Charles Jenkins broadcasts the first TV commercial.

The BBC begins regular TV transmissions.

1933Iowa State University (W9XK) starts broadcasting twice weekly television programs in cooperation with radio station WSUI. 1936About 200 hundred television sets are in use world-wide.

The introduction of coaxial cable, which is a pure copper or copper-coated wire surrounded by insulation and an aluminum covering. These cables were and are used to transmit television, telephone, and data signals.

The first experimental coaxial cable lines were laid by AT&T between New York and Philadelphia in 1936. The first regular installation connected Minneapolis and Stevens Point, WI in 1941.

The original L1 coaxial-cable system could carry 480 telephone conversations or one television program. By the 1970's, L5 systems could carry 132,000 calls or more than 200 television programs.

1937CBS begins its TV development.

The BBC begins high definition broadcasts in London.

Brothers and Stanford researchers Russell and Sigurd Varian introduce the Klystron. A Klystron is a high-frequency amplifier for generating microwaves. It is considered the technology that makes UHF-TV possible because it gives the ability to generate the high power required in this spectrum.

1939Vladimir Zworkin and RCA conduct experimentally broadcasts from the Empire State Building.

Television was demonstrated at the New York World's Fair and the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition.

RCA's David Sarnoff used his company's exhibit at the 1939 World's Fair as a showcase for the 1st Presidential speech (Roosevelt) on television and to introduce RCA's new line of television receivers, some of which had to be coupled with a radio if you wanted to hear sound.

The Dumont company starts making tv sets.

1940Peter Goldmark invents a 343 lines of resolution color television system. 1941The FCC releases the NTSC standard for black and white TV. 1943Vladimir Zworkin developed a better camera tube called the Orthicon. The Orthicon (see photo right) had enough light sensitivity to record outdoor events at night. 1946Peter Goldmark, working for CBS, demonstrated his color television system to the FCC. His system produced color pictures by having a red-blue-green wheel spin in front of a cathode ray tube.

This mechanical means of producing a color picture was used in 1949 to broadcast medical procedures from Pennsylvania and Atlantic City hospitals. In Atlantic City, viewers could come to the convention center to see broadcasts of operations. Reports from the time noted that the realism of seeing surgery in color caused more than a few viewers to faint.

Although Goldmark's mechanical system was eventually replaced by an electronic system he is recognized as the first to introduce a broadcasting color television system.

1948Cable television is introduced in Pennsylvania as a means of bringing television to rural areas.

A patent was granted to Louis W. Parker for a low-cost television receiver.

One million homes in the United States have television sets.

1950The FCC approves the first color television standard which is replaced by a second in 1953.

Vladimir Zworkin developed a better camera tube called the Vidicon.

1956Ampex introduces the first practical videotape system of broadcast quality. 1956Robert Adler invents the first practicalremote control called the Zenith Space Commander. It was proceeded by wired remotes and units that failed in sunlight. 1960The first split screen broadcast occurs on the Kennedy - Nixon debates. 1962The All Channel Receiver Act requires that UHF tuners (channels 14 to 83) be included in all sets. 1962AT&T launches Telstar, the first satellite to carry TV broadcasts - broadcasts are now internationally relayed. 1967Most TV broadcasts are in color. 1969July 20, first TV transmission from the moon and 600 million people watch. 1972Half the TVs in homes are color sets. 1973Giant screen projection TV is first marketed. 1976Sony introduces betamax, the first home video cassette recorder. 1978PBS becomes the first station to switch to all satellite delivery of programs. 1981 1,125 Lines of ResolutionNHK demonstrates HDTV with 1,125 lines of resolution. 1982Dolby surround sound for home sets is introduced. 1983Direct Broadcast Satellite begins service in Indianapolis, In. 1984Stereo TV broadcasts approved. 1986Super VHS introduced. 1993Closed captioning required on all sets. 1996The FCC approves ATSC's HDTV standard.

A billion TV sets world-wide.

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