1939 in television

See also: 1938 in television, other events of 1939, 1940 in television and the list of 'years in television'.

Table of contents

1 Events 2 Popular Television Shows 3 Births 4 Deaths

Events

• April - television demonstrations are held at the World's Fair in New York City and the Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco, California
• April 30 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, appearing at the World's Fair, becomes the first President of the United States to give a speech that is broadcast on television
• May 17 - The first baseball game (Princeton - Columbia) is broadcast on television, from Baker Field in New York. Bill Stern is the announcer
• May 19 - The Walt Disney cartoon Donald's Cousin Gus airs on NBC's experimental station W2XBS (later WNBC) in New York. This marked the first film cartoon to be televised.
• June 1 - The first heavyweight boxing match is televised, Max Baer vs Lou Nova, form Yankee Stadium.
• June 14 - Blues singer Ethel Waters' variety show airs on NBC. Waters becomes the first African-American to perform on television.
• August 26 - The first Major League Baseball game is telecast, a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field, in Brooklyn, New York.
• September 1 - The outbreak of World War II brings television broadcasting at BBC to an abrupt end at 12:10pm in the middle of the Mickey Mouse cartoon, Mickey’s Gala Première. The last words broadcast are of a Garbo caricature saying "Ah tink ah go home". (The BBC would resume its broadcasting at that same point after the war in 1946)
• The DuMont company begins producing consumer television sets
• September 30 - The first televised college football game, Fordham vs Waynesburg College, at Randall's Island, New York.
• October 22 - The first National Football League game is televised. The Brooklyn Dodgers vs Philadelphia Eagles at Ebbetts Field in Brooklyn.

Popular Television Shows

Births

• January 17 - Maury Povich, talk show host
• February 6 - Mike Farrell, actor
• April 11 - Louise Lasser, actress
• April 23 - David Birney, actor
• April 23 - Lee Majors, actor
• April 27 - Judy Carne, comedienne
• May 1 - Max Robinson, journalist († 1988)
• May 25 - Dixie Carter, actress
• June 1 - Cleavon Little, actor († 1992)
• June 9 - Dick Vitale, sportscaster
• September 1 - Lily Tomlin, comedienne
• September 18 - Fred Willard, comedian
• September 29 - Larry Linville, actor
• October 27 - John Cleese, comedian
• November 20 - Dick Smothers, comedian

Deaths