Television · 1939
1939: The Dawn of American Television
1939 marked television's grand public debut in the United States with RCA's regular broadcasts and pioneering sports telecasts. Meanwhile in Great Britain, the impending threat of World War II brought the world's first regular high-definition TV service to a sudden halt.
- April 30, 1939 | W2XBS / NBC | USA
FDR Speaks at the New York World's Fair
Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes the first sitting U.S. President to be televised during NBC's broadcast of the opening ceremony of the New York World's Fair.
- August 26, 1939 | W2XBS / NBC | Sports
First Televised Major League Baseball Game
Red Barber calls a doubleheader between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds at Ebbets Field, marking the TV debut of Major League Baseball.
- September 1, 1939 | BBC | UK
BBC Television Service WWII Shutdown
The BBC abruptly halts all television broadcasts mid-Mickey Mouse cartoon to prevent transmissions from serving as navigational beacons for enemy bombers.
- October 22, 1939 | W2XBS / NBC | Sports
First Televised NFL Game
NBC broadcasts a pro football matchup between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the Philadelphia Eagles at Ebbets Field to an estimated several thousand viewers.
- May 17, 1939 | W2XBS / NBC | Sports
First Televised College Basketball Game
A single-camera setup captures Princeton defeating Columbia in double overtime at Baker Field, bringing college athletics to small cathode-ray screens.
- June 1, 1939 | W2XBS / NBC | Sports
First Televised Heavyweight Boxing Match
Lou Nova defeats Max Baer at Yankee Stadium in the first televised heavyweight boxing match, introducing combat sports to home viewers.
- February 1939 | BBC | Drama
BBC Broadcast of Condemned to Death
The BBC airs a landmark live television adaptation of George Hemming's thriller play Condemned to Death starring Basil Sydney.
- April 1939 | RCA | Tech Milestone
RCA Victor Commercial TV Sales Launch
RCA introduces the TRK-12 television set to American consumers, inaugurating the commercial era of home TV receivers.
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