TV has served an important purpose in our lives for over a century. It has delivered the news, provided amusement, evoked laughter, drawn tears, and even caused fear. Transitioning from simple black and white broadcasts to today’s vibrant flat screens, and from silent beginnings to contemporary surround sound, TV’s impact on society is evident. It has given rise to several generations of celebrities and continues to do so today.
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!
25
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: wikipedia 24
The most expensive ad ever made cost $33 million. It was a Chanel advertisement that starred Nicole Kidman.
Image: wikipedia, Source: forbes 23
Although most people dream in color, people who grew up watching black and white TV tend to dream in black and white.
Source: wikipedia, Image: pexels 22
Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the modern television, wouldn't let his kids watch TV.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia 21
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition drove so many families into bankruptcy and foreclosure that they had to start downsizing their houses.
Image: wikipedia, Source: businessinsider 20
In the UK, if you own a TV you have to pay a $230 TV tax to support the BBC.
Image: pixabay, Source: bbc 19
The 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: wikipedia 18
In 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 17
“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: pixabay 16
In Norway, product placement is illegal.
Source: wikipedia 15
Thanks 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: wikipedia 14
Earl 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: wikipedia 13
The average person in the United States will spend 15 years of their life watching TV.
Image: publicdomainpictures.net, Source: dailymail 12
Simpsons is the longest running animated TV series in the US. Arnold is number 2.
Image: wikipedia, Source: wikipedia 11
British TV show Top Gear is the most watched series in the world.
Source: wikipedia, Image: wikipedia 10
In 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 9
"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: wikipedia 8
Wayfarer 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: wikipedia 7
Although times are fast changing with the internet, the average American spends 5 hours watching TV every day.
Image: wikipedia, Source: ibtimes 6
The 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: wikipedia 5
After 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: wikipedia 4
25% of people watch their TV shows on a mobile device.
Image: pexels, Source: nytimes 3
In the United States, people will spend about 17 days of their life watching commercials.
Image: thebluediamondgallery.com, Source: wikipedia 2
John 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: wikipedia 1
Superman is hidden in every episode of Seinfeld
Image: Gareth Simpson via Flickr, Source: businessinsider 
