What Were the Names Given to the First Televisions?

History buffs and TV lovers everywhere may wonder, what were the names given to the first televisions?  Televisions have come a long way since the days of their invention. Today, TVs can hang on the wall, disappear behind mirrors and even show pictures in 3D. However, early televisions like the old black and white models paved the way for these modern inventions. So, what were some of these early TVs called?

There were a few different names given to the first televisions. These names included Radio with Pictures, and some were even referred to as Image Dissectors when they were first displayed to the public.  

It took a long time for early televisions to become mainstream and it was decades from the time of their invention until they became a regular in most homes.

Early Television Programs

The first television show did not go on the air until 1927.

• It was a speech by some members of Bell and American Telegraph and Telephone, as well as by then president Herbert Hoover.  After this speech, it would be over a year until further television plays or screen plays, known as tele plays, would be broadcast
• One of the first shows was a tele play called the Queen’s Messenger which was broadcast in early 1928. 

Other than these occasional special features, early television was mostly used for forecasting weather and sending out news and farming reports several times per day. These early sets were, therefore, largely a medium of transmitting information, rather than a medium of transmitting or providing entertainment.  There was really little reason to watch television at that time unless you were trying to find out specific information such as what the weather would be or what the value of certain crops was in the larger cities throughout America at that time.

So, now you know the names of the first televisions and you also have some details about what early television programming entailed.