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The Televisor
John Logie Baird gives a demonstration of his "televisor" before a small crowd of scientists in London. Two years later in February 1928, Baird's company would demonstrate the wonders of trans-Atlantic television, broadcasting moving images of people in London across the ocean to viewers in New York. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
The kinescope
Vladimir Kosma Zworykin, a Russian inventor, uses a cathode-ray tube, dubbed the kinescope, to display images. The tube, which would later be known as a picture tube, was used in the first television sets. Allen B. Du Mont, an American engineer, refined the use of cathode-ray tubes and sold his technology to RCA which used the tubes to make the first commercially available televisions. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
1939 World's Fair
The National Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts footage of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the World's Fair in New York. The broadcasts were shown on televisions in the fairgrounds. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Mary Kay and Johnny
<em>Mary Kay and Johnny</em>, the first U.S. sitcom, is broadcast on the DuMont network. The New York-based sitcom followed the life of a married couple portrayed by Mary Kay and Johnny Stearns, pictured here in 1997. One year earlier, the first British sitcom, Pinwright's Progress, debuted on the BBC.
(Michael Poche/Associated Press) Gallery created by CBCNews.ca Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Guiding Light debuts
CBS debuts <em>Guiding Light</em> in the U.S. The soap opera, which was originally a 15-minute radio drama, would go on to become the <a href="http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/arts_and_media/tv_shows/longest_running_tv_drama.aspx" target="_blank">longest running television drama</a> in history. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
1st Radio-Canada broadcast
Viewers in Montreal tune in to Radio-Canada at 4 p.m. for the first time. The French network's first day of television programming included a showing of <em>Aladdin and his Lamp</em>, followed by a cartoon, the news, and a variety show. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
CBC Television debuts
<a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/clips/11983/" target="_blank">
CBC Television</a> debuts in Canada, presenting a three-puppet sketch, a performance by Glenn Gould, and a news feature about the Boyd Gang breaking out of the Don Jail. At this time, Canadians had purchased 146,000 television sets. Two years later, 700,000 sets had been sold. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
World Cup soccer shown in 8 countries
The <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/worldcup2006/history/events/1954.html" target="_blank">World Cup of Soccer</a> is televised for the first time to eight European countries from Switzerland. The experiment is hailed as a huge success. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
The microwave network connects Canada
The <a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/arts_entertainment/media/clips/11238/" target="_blank">microwave network</a> transmits a TV signal across Canada. This innovation allows CBC to immediately broadcast programs to all parts of the country. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Canadian Television Network established
Private networks join forces, forming the Canadian Television Network, also known as CTV. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Launch of Telstar
Launch of the Telstar satellite, which would become the first satellite to send television signals across the Atlantic Ocean.
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'I have a dream'
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers a <a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/society/racism/clips/5166/" target="_blank">powerful address</a> to a crowd of 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The speech, in which King calls for an end to segregation, is carried live on the three main U.S. networks reaching an audience of millions. The event is largely regarded as a turning point in the civil rights movement.
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The living-room war
CBS correspondent Morley Safer files a report from Vietnam, showing U.S. Marines using Zippo lighters to burn down the village of Cam Ne. Some viewers recoil at the sight of desperate villagers pleading for mercy. Visceral reports from the field captivated American viewers, spurring vigorous debate about the role the U.S. was playing in what would later be known as "the living-room war."
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CBC TV in colour
CBC begins broadcasting in colour. Canada is the third country to deliver colour television programming to homes, after the United States and Japan. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
1st live, trans-Atlantic broadcast
The Beatles perform <em>All You Need Is Love</em> on <em>Our World</em> – the first live, trans-Atlantic satellite broadcast that reached an estimated 300 million viewers. Opera singer Maria Callas and artist Pablo Picasso also appeared on the show.
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The moon landing
An estimated 600 million people tune in to watch American astronaut Neil Armstrong <a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/space/clips/758/" target="_blank">set foot on the moon</a>. According to Guinness World Records, no other space event has surpassed this historic broadcast in audience draw.
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Introducing All in the Family
<em>All in the Family</em> debuts on CBS. The situation comedy, starring Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton seen in this photograph, will break new ground, exploring issues including racism, homosexuality, and the collision between liberal and conservative values.
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'The Thrilla in Manila'
The cable company Home Box Office challenges the dominance of traditional broadcasters and offers a live satellite broadcast of the heavyweight championship fight dubbed "The Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier.
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Prince Charles and Lady Diana wed
An estimated 750 million people in 74 countries tune in to watch a young Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles at London's Westminster Abbey. The event draws the largest audience for a televised wedding, according to Guinness World Records.
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M*A*S*H finale breaks records
The finale of M*A*S*H draws a record-breaking audience of 125 million people. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
The Gulf War
Television cameras capture fighting in Kuwait City between Iraqi forces and a U.S.-led coalition. Viewers consumed round-the-clock, live coverage of<a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/war_conflict/1991_gulf_war/topics/593/" target="_blank">the Gulf War</a> on all-news networks including CNN and Newsworld.
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'A computer network called internet'
<a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/science_technology/computers/clips/4205/" target="_blank">CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge tells viewers about 'a computer network called internet.' At this point in time, there are approximately 15 million users online. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Princess Diana's funeral
The shocking and untimely death of Princess Diana prompts an effusive outpouring of emotion around the globe. More than 2.5 billion people watch the <a href="http://archives.cbc.ca/society/monarchy/clips/1289/" target="_blank">funeral services</a> – the largest television audience for a live broadcast, according to Guinness World Records.
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AOL and Time Warner merge
America Online Inc. (AOL) announces plans to acquire media and cable giant Time Warner for $182 billion. The historic merger initially sends shares surging though over the course of the following nine years, company shareholders suffer a $100 billion value loss. In 2009, Time Warner would announce plans to spin off AOL – a breakup analysts attribute to poor earnings and a partnership that was never fully realized.
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Court pulls icravetv.com offline
A U.S. court orders Canada's icravetv.com to stop posting live streams of 17 American and Canadian television channels for free. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Tuvalo sells .tv domains
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and gaming company Sega of America sign on to purchase .tv domains. The companies are the latest groups to sign on with Idealab, a company that has agreed to pay the Pacific Island of Tuvalu $50 million over 10 years for the rights to its .tv domain name.
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Survivor sets new record
About 51 million people tune in to watch the season finale of <em>Survivor</em>, setting a record for the largest television audience for a reality show.
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CBS anchor Dan Rather steps down amid controversy
CBS anchor Dan Rather steps down, two months after the airing of a report probing U.S. President George Bush's service in the National Guard. Rather's report was scrutinized by bloggers, particularly Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs. Johnson noted files shown in the report, purportedly created using a typewriter in the early 1970s, appeared to have been made using a word processor. The incident directly challenges the authority of traditional media.
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World Cup soccer finals draws 26M viewers
An astounding 26,288,753 people tune in to watch the World Cup soccer finals – down from the nearly 29 million in 2002, according to the Federation International de Football Association.
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Inventor of the remote control dies
Robert Adler, seen here in 1996 with his Zenith Space Command remote control, dies at the age of 93. The Space Command, which rolled off the production lines in 1957, was the first fully-functioning remote control.
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IOC opens YouTube channel
The International Olympic Committee <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/08/05/ioc-youtube.html" target="_blank">launches a YouTube channel</a>. The channel is only available in countries where video on demand rights have not been sold. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Presidential inauguration breaks streaming records
<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2009/01/21/online-video.html" target="_blank">Record numbers of viewers</a> watch live streaming video of Barack Obama's presidential inauguration. CBC.ca delivered 96,000 video stream views on inauguration day, four times the number provided on Oct. 14, the date of Canada's federal election. Akamai Technologies reported 7.7 million viewers watched web streams simultaneously on inauguration day.
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Fred Figglehorn nets 1M subscribers
Fifteen-year-old <a href="http://www.youtube.com/lucas" target="_blank">Lucas Cruikshank</a> becomes the first person to net one million subscribers to his Fred Figglehorn YouTube channel. The Nebraskan has posted 37 videos in which he portrays an angry six-year-old. Gallery created by CBCNews.ca -
Launch of Hulu.com
NBC Universal and News Corp. officially launch a free video-streaming site, Hulu.com. The site, which is only available in the U.S., streams select television and movies in flash video format. The programming includes advertisements. On Nov. 26, Hulu will partner with Sling Media to expand its services.
(Edelman publicity/Associated Press) Gallery created by CBCNews.ca
