Today is World Television Day. 10 things you might not know about TV:
The word television comes from Ancient Greek tele 'far' and Latin visio 'sight'. The first documented use of the word dates back to 1900 when the Russian scientist Constantin Perskyi used it in a paper he presented at the first International Congress of Electricity during the International World Fair in Paris.
The first electronic television was demonstrated by Philo Farnsworth in San Francisco in 1927. Three years later, in 1939, the idea was introduced to the public at the New York World’s Fair. RCA broadcast the opening ceremonies which featured President Franklin D Roosevelt on television sets around the fairgrounds and across the city. The following day, television sets went on sale.
It’s a common belief that radio came before TV, but in fact, television came first. The cathode-ray tube, the technology that makes TV possible, was invented in 1897 by Ferdinand Braun.
Slang words for television include telly, the tube (from cathode-ray tube), idiot box and goggle box.
The Eurovision song contest was initially a means of testing just how far live broadcast technology could go, rather than a means to bring the various nations together.
The remote control came along in 1950. Before that you’d have to get up and walk across the room to change the channel, turn the sound up or down, switch it on and off. Zenith Radio Corporation released the first remote control, but the early ones were actually connected to the TV set by a chord, which didn’t take off because it proved to be a trip hazard.
The first advert shown on TV anywhere was in 1941. Aired before a Brooklyn Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies Baseball game, it was for Bulova Watches and lasted just 10 seconds. It cost the watchmakers $9, which even when converted to today’s money was only $177.
The first made for TV movie was See How They Run, a thriller about three children being pursued by hitmen. It was first shown on NBC in October 1964.
The first TV satellite was launched in 1962.
The most watched TV show ever was the final episode of M*A*S*H. The most expensive TV show ever produced (at time of writing) is Game of Thrones, which cost $15 million per episode.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment