Television

The Thriving Television
Statistics show that 66% of households own three or more televisions (“Family Life”). Nearly everyone is impacted by television in some way. It can change the way society views certain situations or even change some families’ lives. Although many people may believe it has a negative impact on society, it plays a major positive role in the way society functions and evolves. The invention of the television has positively changed the world’s communication systems, politics, and economics, especially during the 1950’s.

The history of the television dates back to the 1920’s, but it was particularly prosperous in the 1950’s for a number of reasons. The television had been black and white up until engineer Peter Goldmark saw a clip of Gone With the Wind and decided he would start tinkering with colored screens and broadcasts (Gomery). Goldmark invented the system called “additive color” to make broadcasting colored by using a system containing green, blue, and red spinning wheels (Gomery). Along with colored broadcasting came the colored television. A protocol was demonstrated to the Federal Communications Commission. They were impressed but hesitant to commercialize it due to a black and white standard they had just created (“Leaving the FCC Website”). Eventually, after lawsuits pursued, the Federal Communications Commission created a colored television and broadcasting standard (Layman 425). Colored televisions started selling quickly when the Korean War had begun because Americans wanted to escape from the terror and violence of the war (Layman 424). They found escapism in their living rooms from the new gadget (Layman 424). Finally in 1972, the colored television sales exceeded black and white television sales, officially making the transition to nearly all homes. Overall, the television became popular after numerous obstacles, but it is now a huge part of society today.

Communication was changed immensely locally and nationally after...