The 70th Anniversary of the Television

Original 1941 TV Set

Most of us take for granted all the modern technology for which we rely on every day. Be it your alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning, the coffee machine that provides you with your morning jolt of java, your iPhone that connects you to the world or your television set that brings you hundreds of channels and more choices than you can imagine to entertain you every waking moment.

But, there was a point in time when the television set was the wave of the future. Anyone who was alive before the year 1941 can attest to the fact that radio was the main source of information and the telephone was a modern convenience that nearly every home could not do without – but those phones required an actual live phone operator and lengthy cords to function.

On July 1, 1941, though, the fantasies of the future came to life in the form of a large box comprised of cathode tubes, valves, transformers, chokes, coils and various capacitors. That modern invention was the Television Set.

For most of us, it is hard to imagine a life without a television set in our homes, in our cars or in our offices; but on that not so illustrious day 70 years ago, the commercial television was authorized by the Federal Communications Commission with the very first legal TV commercial – for Bulova watches – broadcast before a baseball game on the then WNBT (now WNBC) channel in New York.

From that auspicious date in history to the present day, the television set has made a powerful impact in the lives of nearly every human being on the planet – unless, of course, you live under a rock or in an Amish community in rural Pennsylvania. But those minority communities aside, the TV is perhaps one of the best man-made inventions of the modern age.

And while even the TV set has its detractors, July 1 should be looked at as an important date in history not just for America but for the world. The entertainment industry would be a rather lonely place without the good ole “boob tube” to provide us with endless hours of game shows, talk shows, soap operas, variety shows, award shows, news, comedies, dramas, mini-series and movies and – begrudgingly – reality programming that have graced the small screen over the past 70 years.

So, here’s to you – the television set – thank you for providing all of us with the unbelievable, the funny, the memorable and even the grotesque. None of our lives would be the same without your sitting in our homes.

With that thought in mind, I would love to hear what have been some of the most memorable moments that you have had with your family and friends while sitting around the TV set. Please share.

Vertical Horizon

Musician Spotlight: Vertical Horizon is an American rock band from Washington, D.C. that was formed in 1991 by undergrads Matthew Scannell (lead vocals and lead guitar) and Keith Kane (backing vocals and guitar). After their graduation the following year, the duo relocated to Boston and self-released their debut album called “There and Back Again.” All the songs on this album were co-written by the duo and they played all the instruments themselves. For the next few years, Scannell and Keith toured as a duo, they were then joined by Ed Toth on drums in 1996 and they released a live album called “Live Stages” in 1997. It wasn’t that much later that they were signed to Sony BMG Music Entertainment/RCA Records and soon held auditions for a permanent bass player. Sean Hurley soon took on that role. Their debut album “Everything You Want” came out in 1999 with the first single “We Are” making little impact. Their next single “Everything You Want” topped the charts and became the 34th most played song in 2000. The next single from that album was “You’re A God” and it went on to become the 12th most played son on the radio in 2000. The next single off this album – “Best I Ever Had (Grey Sky Morning” became the band’s third consecutive top ten hit on the Billboard charts. Since the success of that album, Vertical Horizon has released two other items: “Go” in 2003 and “Burning the Days” in 2009. And while the members of the band have changed over the last few years, Scannell is still the driving force behind the band. For more information on Vertical Horizon, please visit their website here.