1948: Cable TV Is Born

Have you ever wondered what started the cable TV boom? It all started in 1948 when a man named John Walson from Mahanoy City, Pa. decided to try to get the new and exciting world of broadcast television to his tiny town in the mountains of Pennsylvania. He wasn't pleased with the reception he was getting from the television broadcasts from Philadelphia, so he decided to take it upon himself to fix that. Walson placed an antenna on the top of a mountain and ran a wire from the antenna to a television in an appliance store that he owned. Once people heard that Walson was able to get such clear reception by using a simple wire, the sale of televisions went wild, as did the use of the signal transmitter he used to get the improved pictures. Thus, cable television was born!