TV has played a significant role in all of our lives. For the past century it has brought us the news, entertained us, made us laugh, made us cry, and even scared us. It went from the early days of black and white TV all the way to today’s colorful flat screens. It started with no sound, today we have surround sound. TV has certainly left its mark on society. It created several generations worth of celebrities, and today it continues to create more.
Of course, with the rise of the internet, there are other factors at play now. These days you have to ask yourself, what is a TV? A child born right now may never “turn the TV on” or even use a remote. They will just whip out their phone and start watching their favorite TV show. The world has changed a lot, but if it weren’t for TV, we wouldn’t be where we are now. It was a critical intermediate step, and today we are going to honor its memory and pay our respects. Alright, that might be a bit overblown, but we are going to learn a little bit about how TV shaped our world. These are 25 Facts About Television And TV Shows That Are Pretty Cool!
In 1969, the US wanted to cut the public broadcasting budget. Mr Rogers, who was relatively unknown at the time, went to Washington to talk to congress. Instead of the budget being cut, it was increased from $9 million to $22 million.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaThe most expensive ad ever made cost $33 million. It was a Chanel advertisement that starred Nicole Kidman.
Image: wikipedia, Source: forbesAlthough most people dream in color, people who grew up watching black and white TV tend to dream in black and white.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pexelsPhilo Farnsworth, the inventor of the modern television, wouldn't let his kids watch TV.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaExtreme Makeover: Home Edition drove so many families into bankruptcy and foreclosure that they had to start downsizing their houses.
Image: wikipedia, Source: businessinsiderIn the UK, if you own a TV you have to pay a $230 TV tax to support the BBC.
Image: pixabay, Source: bbcThe founder of Wendy's, Dave Thomas, appeared in more than 800 commercials for Wendy's. That's the most commercials anybody has ever done.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaIn 1987, a man hijacked a TV station during an episode of Dr. Who while wearing a mask and blabbering nonsense. He was never caught.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia“The Television Ghost” was an American TV series in the 1930's that featured an actor dressed up as a dead person telling the story of how they were murdered.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pixabayIn Norway, product placement is illegal.
Source: wikipediaThanks to crime dramas, jurors have been found to have a bias towards the reliability of forensic techniques. This has even been referred to as the "CSI Effect."
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaEarl Wild was the first person to play piano on TV. 60 years later he was also the first person to stream himself playing on the internet.
Image: pixabay, Source: wikipediaThe average person in the United States will spend 15 years of their life watching TV.
Image: publicdomainpictures.net, Source: dailymailSimpsons is the longest running animated TV series in the US. Arnold is number 2.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaBritish TV show Top Gear is the most watched series in the world.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipediaIn 1974, Christine Chubbuck, a reporter, announced during a broadcast that "in keeping with Channel 40’s policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts, and in living color, you are going to see another first - attempted suicide.” She then pulled out a gun and killed herself.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia"The Dying Rooms" was TV series in 1995 that documented Chinese orphanages. Apparently, while it is illegal to deliberately kill a child, it is not illegal to neglect them in one of these orphanages until they die of starvation.
Image: joan vila via Flickr, Source: wikipediaWayfarer sunglasses almost became a relic in the 1980's but then Ray-Ban signed a product placement deal that saw them featured in nearly 60 TV shows and movies.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaAlthough times are fast changing with the internet, the average American spends 5 hours watching TV every day.
Image: wikipedia, Source: ibtimesThe first interracial kiss on US television was during an episode of Star Trek. The scene was filmed both with and without the kiss but the actors (Shatner and Nichols) intentionally messed up every shot taken without the kiss. Therefore the producers had no choice but to air the kiss.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaAfter President Kennedy died in 1963, TV networks broadcast 4 days of non-stop coverage of his funeral and burial. It cost them $100 million in lost advertising revenue.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia25% of people watch their TV shows on a mobile device.
Image: pexels, Source: nytimesIn the United States, people will spend about 17 days of their life watching commercials.
Image: thebluediamondgallery.com, Source: wikipediaJohn Munch (played by Richard Belzer) is the only fictional character played by the same actor to feature in 10 different TV series. These included Law & Order and the X-Files.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipediaSuperman is hidden in every episode of Seinfeld
Image: Gareth Simpson via Flickr, Source: businessinsider
