Would you pay a TV license fee?
Chapter 1
The living room revolution
Chapter 2
Technicolor, suspense, and rainy streets
Chapter 3
The soundtrack of a new era
Chapter 4
Spiders, old men, and invisible struggles
Ch 1 · The living room revolution
schopenhauer The Living Room Revolution
Right on the screen, right on the screen. Politics moved right to the screen.
schopenhauer In May 1952, KTLA broadcasted the first live television coverage of an atomic detonation.
Fun Fact
Illegal TV viewers: In 1952, the United Kingdom deployed special TV detector vans to catch thousands of households watching television without a license.
schopenhauer In 1952, the sitcom I Love Lucy achieved some of the highest television ratings in history.
Glossary
television (noun)
An electronic system of transmitting transient images and sound over a wire or through space to a screen. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower transformed presidential campaigning by broadcasting short, twenty-second commercials directly to voters' homes.
An electronic system of transmitting transient images and sound over a wire or through space to a screen. In 1952, Dwight Eisenhower transformed presidential campaigning by broadcasting short, twenty-second commercials directly to voters' homes.
Quiz
Which famous American politician delivered the televised 'Checkers speech' in September 1952?
BETA
schopenhauer Spin the wheel to discover the iconic TV, movie, and music hits of 1952.
Quiz
Which US city's local station KTLA broadcasted the first live televised atomic bomb blast in 1952?
Quiz
What did the United Kingdom introduce in February 1952 to catch unlicensed TV viewers?
Quiz
What historic rating milestone did I Love Lucy achieve during its 1952-1953 season?
Quiz
In September 1952, Canada debuted its very first television station, CBFT, in which city?
Quiz
What political campaign milestone occurred on television during the 1952 US presidential race?