| 1927 |
Philo Farnsworth sends first experimental electronic television pictures during the month of May. |
| 1928 |
Vladimir Zworykin patents the iconoscope tube which makes electronic tetevision feasible. |
| 1932 |
NBC, first television station, starts in the newly constructed Empire State Building in New York City. |
| 1935 |
NBC now installs primitive television station in New York. |
| 1937 |
There are now 17 experimental television stations. |
| 1939 |
Formal opening of NBC’s New York service, offering one program per day; CBS and Dumont Television follow suit. TV sets go on sale far $200 to $600.
|
| 1940 |
CBS airs the first ‘colorcast’ using the CBS color system. |
| 1941 |
July 1 NBC’s commercial telecasting begins. |
| 1942 |
Due to WWII the ten operating television states shut down. |
| 1945 |
WWII ends, television broadcasts resume. |
| 1946 |
RCA begins to produce televisions early in the year, and later demonstrate and electronic color television system. |
| 1947 |
Nationwide there are 14,000 television sets. Television industry creates its first regular programs, like “Howdy Doody,” and “Kraft Television Theatre.”
March – FCC declines to authorize CBS color television system.
|
| 1948 |
NBC and CBS announce plans for major network expansion by 1950. A New York television station, ABC’s first, goes on the air. After 16 stations are on the air the FCC does not allow the further construction or more stations. |
| 1949 |
In Astoria, Oregon, the first Cable Television network is built. By the end of the year there are 190,000 television sets in use around the country. |
| 1950 |
The number of television sets reaches 1,000,000! FCC also authorizes CBS's mechanical color television system.
|
| 1951 |
Live images of the Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges seen simlutaneously on television. The first videotape recorder is tested. |
| 1952 |
The FCC creates 550 VHF and 1,450 UHF channels. KPTV in Portland, Oregon is the first UHF station to go on the air. |
| 1953 |
20,000,000 television homes in the nation. |
| 1955 |
Dumont Television Network goes out of existence.
|
| 1956 |
Roseburg and Klamath Falls both start first stations. |
| 1958 |
Southern Oregon Cable Television first brings all four network services, and other television programming, to local subscribers. |
| 1959 |
Quiz shows take over the television industry along with shows like "The Mickey Mouse Club." |
| 1960 |
The first presidential election debates are televised between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. The telecast probably changed the outcome of the election.
|
| 1963 |
NBC and CBS begin half-hour evening television newscasts. |
| 1966 |
NBC broadcasts virtually all its shows in color while CBS and ABC offer about half of their schedules.
|
| 1967 |
Corporation for Public Broadcasting is established.
|
| 1980 |
PBS begins using satellite transmission to link the network’s stations.
|
| 1985 |
NBC is the first commercial television network to use satellite interconnection for its stations. |
| 1986 |
Fox Broadcasting Company takes to the air as the fourth national television network. |
