When World War II began, television sets were just emerging onto the scene. Manufacturers were busy figuring out how to make the television as prevalent as the radio in American households. World War II stopped everything. All commercial production of television equipment was banned for the duration of the war, and TV broadcasting schedules were reduced to a bare minimum.
As soon as the war ended in 1945, manufacturers went right back to producing television sets. In 1946, RCA put out the 630-TS TV, which was the first mass-produced postwar television. In that same year, Hour Glass, the first musical variety show, and Faraway Hill, the first soap opera, aired. Here are some other interesting early television facts for TV lovers:
• In 1947, there were about 44,000 TV sets in American homes compared to 40 million radios.
• On September 30, 1947, the New York Yankees played the Brooklyn Dodgers in the first telecasted World Series game.
• On November 6, 1947, Meet the Press first aired. It is the longest-running program in television history.
• In December 1947, The Howdy Doody Show aired, becoming the first nationally televised children’s show.
• In 1948, only one in ten Americans had seen a television set, but television production and sales were rapidly increasing.
• In 1949, television sets hit the 2,000,000 sold mark.
• On June 27, 1949, Captain Video and His Video Rangers, the first science fiction television series, aired.
• In 1950, television sets sold reached 8,000,000.
• In 1951, television sets sold reached 13,000.000.
• On October 15, 1951, I Love Lucy first aired.
• In 1952, an estimated 10.6 million homes were watching I Love Lucy.
• By the mid-1950s, half of all U.S. homes had a television.