![]() Originally, they were designed as powerful calculators. The first commercial computers went on sale in the United States in the early 1950s. The first person to be paged was none other than a physician on a golf course! THE COMPUTER COMES OF AGE Cable calls cost $12 during the day and $9 at night for three minutes of connection time.įinally, in 1950, the Aircall Corporation of New York marketed a radio pager (beeper). By 1956, it was possible for Americans and Europeans to telephone one another using this system. The cable was designed to carry thirty-six telephone conversations at a time, and up to 1,200 calls per day. One was used for eastbound communication, the other for westbound. ![]() It consisted of two specially coated and insulated 2,500-mile-long wire bundles laid along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), the British Post Office (which ran the British telephone system), and the Canadian Overseas Telecommunications Corporation sponsored operation of the first transatlantic cable line to be used for telephone communication. Telephone communication improved greatly during the decade. (In 1946, Gould had equipped his fictional crime-busting hero with a special two-way, voice-activated video phone worn around the wrist.) It was presented as a gift to Chester Gould (1900–1985), creator of the Dick Tracy comic strip. Seven years earlier, Western Electric engineers had even produced a transistor wristwatch. In 1959, almost half of the ten million radios produced in the United States were powered by transistors. The device allowed for the development and mass-marketing of small, portable radios (commonly known as transistor radios). Transistors soon were employed in a variety of products, from computers and television sets to hearing aids. Their discovery was one of the most significant developments in twentieth-century technology, and it resulted in the birth of a multibillion-dollar industry. In 1947, Walter Brattain (1902–1987), John Bardeen (1908–1991), and William Shockley (1910–1989) of the Bell Laboratories created the first transistor. The footage was edited during the postproduction process and could be rebroadcast at the convenience of the television network. If an actor forgot a line, the scene simply could be retaped. ![]() However, the evolution of high-quality magnetic tape (a ribbon of thin plastic employed in the use of magnetic recording, the process by which sounds and images were inscribed onto the tape) allowed for the taping of television shows. Kinescopes usually were visually fuzzy and second-rate in quality. Called kinescopes, these films were used to rebroadcast the program in different time zones. During this original transmission, a television monitor on which the program appeared was used to film the program. Any and all mistakes occurring during the broadcast, from technical glitches to actors forgetting or misreading their lines, were seen by audiences. At the time, many TV programs were presented live. I Love Lucy (1951–57), a classic situation comedy, is the most famous of the era's filmed television shows. Occasionally during the early 1950s, television series were shot on film and edited before being broadcast. Despite the momentous nature of the event in broadcasting history, only several thousand viewers across the country had the equipment to see this groundbreaking telecast. The parade was presented by the National Broadcasting Company (NBC). The American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) established a color network of twenty-two cities, to which the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) sent the equipment needed to receive the color signal. On January 1, 1954, the Tournament of Roses Parade, originating in Pasadena, California, became the first national coast-to-coast "colorcast," or television programming broadcast in color. For years, electronics engineers had been developing systems for sending and receiving broadcast signals in color. Advancements in electronics made television sets affordable and thus available to almost everyone in the United States. By the end of the decade, television had replaced radio, newspapers, and magazines as the primary source of entertainment and information for most Americans. SPUTNIK AND THE SPACE RACE FROM COLOR TV TO MAGNETIC TAPE, TRANSISTORS TO TRANSATLANTIC CABLESĭuring the 1950s, technological innovations resulted in the rapid improvement of mass communication. LPs AND "45s": MORE FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE JET AIRCRAFT: FLYING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND The 1950s Science and Technology: Topics in the News FROM COLOR TV TO MAGNETIC TAPE, TRANSISTORS TO TRANSATLANTIC CABLESĬOMPUTER LANGUAGE: A NEW WAY OF COMMUNICATING
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |