25 Greatest Inventions of the 20th Century: TV: on the shoulders of giants

The history books say that television was invented by Scottish inventor John Logie Baird. But he couldn’t have done it without the work of many earlier inventors. Baird’s “televisor” used a special rotating disk made by a German university student and a photocell made by an American. Baird stunned the world in a series of public demonstrations of his technology in the 1920s. Puppet heads and human heads moved live on a small screen. Baird’s televisor was mechanical, but other inventors — including Japanese engineer Kenjiro Takayanagi — made electronic televisions using cathode ray tubes. These CRTs have since been replaced by today’s flat-screen wonders. Television stations soon sprang up everywhere, and TV moved to the center of our culture. As TV comes closer to its 100th anniversary, people are divided about its benefits. On the one hand, it has brought world-changing events into our living rooms. TV has shined a light on distant countries and cultures, helping us understand we are all one people. When we are sad, we can see a movie on TV to lift our spirits. When we want information, TV can give us what we need. But parents worry it rots children’s minds. When kids are glued to the TV screen, they’re not having a real conversation with real people. And TV can spread misinformation and control society — as in countries like North Korea. In so many ways, TV is a mirror to our strengths and our weaknesses. (T) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.