MASS MEDIA TIMELINE
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1455--Johanne Gutenberg invents movable type for the printing press
1862—First still image (TV) transferred.
1880—Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Edison theorize about telephone devices that transmit image as well as sound.
1895--Guglielmo Marconi, an Italian inventor, proved the feasibility of radio communication. He sent and received his first radio signal
in Italy.
1899--Marconi flashed the first wireless signal across the English Channel and two years later received the letter "S", telegraphed from
England to Newfoundland. This was the first successful transatlantic radiotelegraph message in 1902. In addition to Marconi, two of his
contemporaries Nikola Tesla and Nathan Stufflefield took out patents for wireless radio transmitters. Nikola Tesla is now credited with
being the first person to patent radio technology; the Supreme Court overturned Marconi's patent in 1943 in favor of Tesla.
1900-- At the World's Fair in Paris, the first International Congress of Electricity was held. That is where Russian Constantin Perskyi
made the first known use of the word "television."
1927
Bell Telephone and the U.S. Department of Commerce conduct the first long distance use of
television that took place between Washington D.C. and New York City on April 9th. Secretary of
Commerce Herbert Hoover commented, “Today we have, in a sense, the transmission of sight for
the first time in the world’s history. Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance
in a new respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown.”
Philo Farnsworth, files for a patent on the first complete electronic television system, which he
called the Image Dissector.
1903—First feature film “The Great Train Robbery” is shown.
1915—“Birth of a Nation”, a three-hour film, marks the start of the modern movie industry.
1917-18—Government impose censorship upon newspapers during WWI.
1920—KDKA in Pittsburgh gets first commercial radio license.
1920—Tabloid journalism flourishes in big cities.
1922—Time is first weekly news magazine.
1922—First advertisement on radio.
1926—NBC becomes first radio network.
1927—First experimental broadcast of television.
1927--Bell Telephone and the U.S. Department of Commerce conduct the first long distance use of television that took place between
Washington D.C. and New York City on April 9th. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover commented, “Today we have, in a sense, the
transmission of sight for the first time in the world’s history. Human genius has now destroyed the impediment of distance in a new
respect, and in a manner hitherto unknown.”
Philo Farnsworth, files for a patent on the first complete electronic television system, which he called the Image Dissector.
1930s—Five movie companies dominate the industry.
1936—Life becomes first American magazine with pictures.
1938—Edward R. Murrow begins broadcasting reports of war from Europe (WWII).
1939—TV is demonstrated at New York’s World Fair.
1939-1945—Movie industry helps U.S. government promote the war effort.
1940s—Tape recording develops.
1941—FCC releases the NTSC standard for black and white TV.
1941-45—Governments censor press during WWII.
1941-45—Life magazine plays an important role in covering WWII.
1948—Transistor radio is invented.
1948—Cable TV born in the mountains of Pennsylvania by
Service Electric Company (of Allentown) with the Walson family.
1950s—TV takes advertising from newspapers.
--TV affects movie attendance.
--TV forces radio use music format.
--Cable TV systems begin.
1960s—Networks begin showing movies during prime time.
--Color TVs become more common.
1968—Film industry begins using a rating system to filter content.
1970s—VCR developed.
--Weekly newspaper circulation grows dramatically.
--Niche magazines begin boom that continues into 1990s.
1972—Home Box Office (HBO) is first subscription cable channel.
1980s—Compact Disk (CD) is invented.
1980—Cable News Network (CNN) begins operation.
1981—MTV begins broadcasting.
1985—Digital audiotape is introduced.
Late 1980s—USA’s National Science Foundation creates the basis for the Internet.
Early 1990s—Direct satellite broadcasts using 18-inch satellite dishes.
1990s—Newspapers go onto the Internet.
1990s—Magazines begin publishing on the Internet.
1990s—Movies are promoted on the Internet.
1990s—Cable systems experiment with movies on demand.
1990s—Talk show format gains listeners and national attention.
1995—Total television advertising exceeds that of newspapers.