1940 in television
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The year 1940 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1940.
Events
- January – The FCC has public hearings concerning television.
- January 12 - The first network telecast, a play entitled "Meet The Wife," is televised by NBC over W2XBS (NBC) and W2XB.[1]
- February 25 – The first ice hockey game is televised in the United States, the New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens, from Madison Square Garden on W2XBS-TV.
- February 28 – The first basketball game is televised, from Madison Square Garden: Fordham University vs the University of Pittsburgh.
- March 10 – The Metropolitan Opera broadcast for the first time from NBC studios at Rockefeller Center an abridged performance of the first act of Pagliacci, along with excerpts from four other operas.
- March 15 – RCA reduces the price of television sets.
- May 21 – Bell Telephone Laboratories transmits a 441-line video signal, with a bandwidth of 2.7 MHz, by coaxial cable from New York to Philadelphia and back.
- June – W2XBS in New York (NBC) covers the Republican National Convention from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 33 hours, during a five-day period. The signal is transmitted via coaxial cable.
- August 1 – W2XBS goes out of commission from 1 August 1940 until the 27th of October 1940 while the transmitter is adjusted from 441-line picture to 525-line picture. [2][3]
- August 29 – Peter Carl Goldmark of CBS announces his invention of a color television system.
- September 3 – CBS resumes its television transmissions with the first demonstration of high definition color TV, by W2XAB, transmitting from the Chrysler Building.
- November 5 - First televised Presidential election coverage is carried by W2XBS (NBC) and W2XWV (DuMont).
Debuts
- February 3 - Art for Your Sake, an art discussion program hosted by Dr. Bernard Myers, debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).[4]
- February 21 - NBC News with Lowell Thomas, a simulcast of Lowell Thomas’ daily radio newscast, debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).[5]
- March 27- The Esso Television Reporter debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).[6]
- July 8 - Boxing from Jamaica Arena debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940-42).[7]
Television shows
| Series | Debut | Ended | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art for Your Sake | February 3, 1940 | March 30, 1940 | NBC |
| NBC News with Lowell Thomas | February 21, 1940 | July 30, 1940 | NBC |
| The Esso Television Reporter | March 27, 1940 | May 31, 1940 | NBC |
| Boxing from Jamaica Arena | July 8, 1940 | May 18, 1942 | NBC |
Programs ending during 1940
| Date | Series | Debut |
|---|---|---|
| May 31 | The Esso Television Reporter | March 27, 1940 |
| July 30 | NBC News with Lowell Thomas | February 21, 1940 |
Births
- January 5 – Michael O'Donoghue, writer (died 1994)
- January 14 – Trevor Nunn, British theatre director
- January 19 – Mike Reid, English actor and comedian (died 2007)
- January 22 – John Hurt, English actor (died 2017)
- January 27 – James Cromwell, actor
- January 29 – Katharine Ross, actress
- January 31 – Stuart Margolin, actor, The Rockford Files (died 2022)
- February 2 – David Jason, English actor, Only Fools and Horses
- February 3 – Jim Hartz, television personality (died 2022)
- February 6
- Tom Brokaw, American journalist
- Jimmy Tarbuck, English comedian
- February 8 – Ted Koppel, journalist
- February 10 – Kathryn Mullen, puppeteer
- February 12 – Ralph Bates, English actor (died 1991)
- February 17 – John Lewis, politician (died 2020)
- February 20 – Smokey Robinson, singer
- February 22
- Don Cannon, American news anchor
- Judy Cornwell, English actress
- February 23 – Peter Fonda, actor (died 2019)
- February 24 – James Sloyan, actor
- February 27 – Howard Hesseman, actor, WKRP in Cincinnati, Head of the Class (died 2022)
- February 29
- Sonja Barend, talk show host
- Margit Carstensen, actress (died 2023)
- Yoshio Harada, actor (died 2011)
- Harvey Jason, actor
- Monte Kiffin, coach
- March 7 – Daniel J. Travanti, actor, Hill Street Blues
- March 10 – Chuck Norris, actor, Walker, Texas Ranger
- March 15 – Phil Lesh, musician
- March 26
- James Caan, actor, Las Vegas (died 2022)
- Nancy Pelosi, politician
- March 28 – Tony Barber, host
- April 2 – Penelope Keith, English actress, To The Manor Born
- April 12
- John Hagee, pastor
- Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist
- April 15 – Thea White, American voice actress (died 2021)
- April 17 – Chuck Menville, American television animator and writer (died 1992)
- April 25 – Al Pacino, actor
- April 30 – Burt Young, actor (died 2023)
- May 5 – Lance Henriksen, actor
- May 6 – Rick Husky, producer
- May 8
- Emilio Delgado, actor (died 2022)
- Ricky Nelson, actor (died 1985)
- May 9 – James L. Brooks, producer
- May 10 – Taurean Blacque, actor, Hill Street Blues (died 2022)
- May 15
- Roger Ailes, American television executive (died 2017)
- Lainie Kazan, American actress
- May 17 – Peter Gerety, actor
- May 22
- Michael Sarrazin, actor (died 2011)
- Bernard Shaw, journalist (died 2022)
- May 24 – Arvin Brown, American theatre and television director
- June 1 – René Auberjonois, actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (died 2019)
- June 2 – Maree Cheatham, actress (Search for Tomorrow, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives)
- June 6 – Richard Paul, actor (died 1998)
- June 11 – Daniel J. Sullivan, film director
- June 14 – Jack Bannon, actor, Lou Grant (died 2017)
- June 20 – John Mahoney, English-born actor, Frasier (died 2018)
- June 21 – Mariette Hartley, actress
- June 22 – Esther Rantzen, English consumer affairs presenter, That's Life!
- June 26 – Mel White, author
- July 3 – Michael Cole, actor, The Mod Squad
- July 6 – Jeannie Seely, singer
- July 7 – Ringo Starr, English rock drummer, The Beatles
- July 13 – Patrick Stewart, English actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation
- July 17
- Tim Brooke-Taylor, English comedy performer, The Goodies (died 2020)
- Verne Lundquist, American sportscaster
- July 18 – James Brolin, actor, Marcus Welby, M.D.
- July 22 – Alex Trebek, game show host, Jeopardy! (died 2020)
- July 23 – Don Imus, American radio/television host, Imus in the Morning (died 2019)
- July 24 – Dan Hedaya, American actor
- July 31 – Roy Walker, television host
- August 3 – Martin Sheen, actor, The West Wing
- August 19
- Jill St. John, actress
- Lou Wagner, actor
- August 22 – Judy Nugent, actress (died 2023)
- August 23 – Richard Sanders, actor, WKRP in Cincinnati
- August 26 – Don LaFontaine, voice actor (died 2008)
- August 28
- Ken Jenkins, actor, Scrubs
- Bonnie Turner, producer
- September 1 – Gary Bender, sportscaster
- September 5 – Raquel Welch, actress (died 2023)
- September 11 – Brian De Palma, screenwriter
- September 12 – Linda Gray, actress, Dallas
- September 21 – Bill Kurtis, news anchor
- October 4 – Christopher Stone, actor (The Interns) (died 1995)
- October 9 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter, The Beatles (killed 1980)
- October 16 – Barry Corbin, American actor
- October 19 – Michael Gambon, Irish-born British actor, The Singing Detective (died 2023)
- October 28 – Susan Harris, writer
- November 9 – Reynaldo Villalobos, director
- November 13 – Daniel Pilon, Cuban-born actor, Dallas (died 2018)
- November 15 – Sam Waterston, actor, Law & Order
- November 20 – Tony Butala, singer
- November 21 – Freddy Beras-Goico, TV host
- November 22 – Terry Gilliam, actor
- November 27 – Bruce Lee, actor (died 1973)
- December 2 – Connie Booth, actress, Fawlty Towers
- December 7 – Carole Simpson, broadcast journalist
- December 11 – Donna Mills, actress, Knots Landing
- December 12 – Dionne Warwick, singer
- December 21
- Arvi Lind, Finnish newsreader
- Don Phillips, American casting director (died 2021)
- December 30 – James Burrows, director
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Television Station to be shut-down; station to be remodelled. New York, NY: New York Times. Sunday, 21 July 1940. Page 10X, col. 8.
- ↑ Television Station to Reopen. New York, NY: New York Times. Wednesday, 23 October 1940. Page L25, col 8.
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