When was the TV invented?

1. So, When Was It Invented?

This is what you came here for, so let’s get it right out in the open and over with: 1927. It’s older than you thought, isn’t it?

According to , we have 21-year-old Philo Taylor Farnsworth to thank for the black box that sits in the center of our living rooms. Not too bad for somebody who was only 21, huh?

Of course, color, HD TV, 4K, and all that stuff wouldn’t come until much, much later. That’s not the only TV fact we’ve got for you today, though! Let’s keep going throughout our mini tour of TV history. 

2. Where’s the Remote?

If you happen to be a time traveler and are trying to use a TV remote anytime before 1980, there’s a reason you can’t find one -- they weren’t invented yet!

It’s hard to believe that TVs were around for so long without remotes, but it’s true. Just imagine having to get up and change the channel all the time -- no thank you! We’re quite glad remotes have become commonplace, thank you very much.

 

3. How many TVs are there in the United States?

There are 120.6 million TV homes in the U.S., at least according to That’s a whole lot of TV watching, that’s for sure. 

Of course, once you factor in the number of people in each home and then the number of TVs in each home … yeah. That number gets a lot bigger, and also gets a lot harder to track. Either way, it still goes to show that we Americans do love our TV sets. 

4.  Life Reflects Art: The C.S.I Effect

Unless you’ve lived under a rock, on a deserted island, or without a TV for the better part of the past two decades, you are probably familiar with “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ” or any of the other crime shows that have dominated the airwaves at one point or the other. 

Well, as much fun as these shows are, they have created an unexpected impact on real life: Jurors in actual trials have started to have sky high expectations of what forensic science can do. Whoops!

5. What’s the most popular genre of TV?

This one even surprised us. While reality TV, sitcoms, and dramas all have their die-hard TV fans, you might be surprised to know which genre a majority of people picked as their favorite.

Drum roll please.

It was actually documentaries that took the cake here as the most liked TV genre, That’s all probably thanks to “Planet Earth.” And we don’t say that enough! So, thanks, “Planet Earth.” 

Well, I think we’ve all learned something today, haven’t we? And as your local electronics store, any day we can teach our customers something new about electronics is a win in our book. 

Of course, that’s not all that we offer -- we’re also here for any of your electronics purchasing needs! Give us a call or stop on by and we’d be glad to show you all the ways you can upgrade the electronics in your life.