sometimes its fun to look back; and to see ourselves
at those times in the past when we gazed in wonder,
forward - TO THE FUTURE!

at such times we tried to wrap our brains around
The Next Big Thing

the video below takes us back to 1939; when
Television was the reigning Next Big Thing

Television had just been one of the hits of the
1939 New York World's Fair

there, visitors to the RCA Exhibit Building could see
moving images of events as they happened

they could volunteer to be "televised" themselves,
and wave to family and friends, who would gaze
at a screen in amazement

the narrator of the video captures the excitement
surrounding the advent of Television with lines like
these,

. . . and so a new American industry has been born.
Television is taking its place as another important and
vital contribution to our daily lives.

It is a modern miracle . . . the research problem of
yesterday is the radio marvel of today. Another
milestone of progress has been passed and science
has made a reality of the age-old dream of pictures
from the sky



for more on the early days of TV, check out
earlytelevision.org