The "The Indian Head Test Pattern" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Scrolling through the myriad of offerings on my TV remote.  Can't decide if I want to watch a baseball game, golf tournament or woman's bowling.  Or, maybe I'll type a story for my blog while listening to oldies on the TV.  My options seem endless.  Wasn't always that way, you know.  But, then again, for many of you, it probably has been that way for most of your life.  

1939 Television with a 12-inch screen.

For me, I was born just as World War II was coming to a close which happened to coincide with the beginning of television as most of you, as well as myself, can remember.  In the late 1940's the post-war economy was strong in the USA and television became a big part of the American home.  Shows and celebrities that I can remember were Ed Sullivan, Milton Berle and my favorite, Howdy Doody.  But, before I go any further, I should give you a quick glimpse as to how TV all began.  It was in the early 1930s that inventors took the basic concepts applied to the transmission of sound and applied them to the transmission of pictures.  The big four, Philo T. Farnsworth, Vladimir Zworykin, Charles Jenkins and John Baird all contributed their "piece of the puzzle" to the invention of modern television.

Bob Smith with Howdy Doody, a favorite for me.

 But, it was Zworykin who suggested the use of the cathode ray tube (CRT) in the receiver.  The CRT is still used in TV sets today.  In 1932 specials like the presidential election, boxing matches and news reports were just about the only things available to view.  Then in 1936 people lucky enough to have a television watched Hitler announce the opening of the Olympics.  At the time the TV set had about a 12 inch screen and cost $400 to $500 when the average household income was about $1,300 a year.  Therefore, most households couldn't afford the new and exciting technology.  Three years later President Franklin Roosevelt opened the 1939 New York's World' Fair on live TV.  

President Roosevelt opening the 1939 World's Fair on TV.

Can you imagine the excitement those who had televisions must have exper- ienced.  Well, the 1950s has often been called the Golden Age of television.  By the end of 1951 there were more than eight million TVs in the USA.  One of my all-time favorite westerns, The Lone Ranger, was popular along with I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners and Father Knows Best.  The TV Guide was the #1 magazine in the country.  Color TV comes alive as well as what I am now holding in my hand, the TV remote.  It was in this time in TV history that advertising became popular and cleaning products targeted directly at women during the day led to "Soap Operas".  In the late 50s a 21-inch black and white TV cost $200 while an average 21-inch color set cost more than double that.  Mom and Dad still couldn't afford a color TV so we went to my dad's sister's home every Sunday evening to watch "Bonanza" in color.  

The stars of Bonanza, on color TV.

As I look back on it I can still see the dull, muted colors that came on the screen at Aunt Doris' house.  Her husband was a CPA, thus the color TV.  The 1960s saw the country watching one news event after another with more and more color TVs filling the living rooms in the country.  For many teeny-boppers, the big event of the 60's happened in 1964 when "The Beatles" came across "The Pond" and played on the Ed Sullivan Show.  75 million people watched and screamed at their TV set that night.  The murder of President Kennedy, space ships rising in a blaze of colors, and the social climate and growing hostility toward the government, the Vietnam War and doctors advertising cigarettes were some of the top TV events viewed during the 60s.  By the end of the 60s there were close to 78 million TV sets in US homes with about 200 million around the world.  Then came Sesame Street in the 1970s along with couples sleeping in the same beds and actresses showing their belly buttons.  Some of my favorite shows were "Mash" and "All in the Family" with brash Archie Bunker.  Video games such as "Pong" were played on TV.  The average yearly home salary was $7,500 with TVs costing between $400 and $700.  And, there were real people who knew how to repair your TV if it wasn't working.  The VCR and home game consoles like Nintendo came about in the 1980s.  Cable TV, although it had been around since the 50s, became a big hit.  

I assume most of you had a VCR or something similar.

Two of the biggest shows in the 80s, "Rosanne" and "The Cosby Show" both recently fell from favor for many viewers.  In the 1990s the Internet arrived in most homes with information available with a click on a button.  TV programming became more risque with "Friends", "The Simpsons" and "Seinfeld."  Cable TV programs offered shows like "The Sopranos" which had no FCC regulations applied to it.  Graphic violence, sex and language have never been the same on TV since!  DVD players arrived in the 2000s and could be seen in large home theaters.  

Oh, for the good old days!

LCD and Plasma led to the "thin" TV that could be hung on the wall.  Then TiVo gave one the ability to pause live broadcasts as well as record several programs at the same time.  "American Idol" became one of the first TV shows that allowed the viewers to vote for their favorite performer.  Then TV went digital!  Today, after 75 years of TV, many are attached to their TV through their computer and cell phone.  Oh, the changes that have happened just in my lifetime.  The days of the Indian-head test pattern that was used when a TV station first signed on each day are long gone.  But, is it all for the better?  We must each decide for ourselves.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.