Today in History: Television

Scrapbook page featuring coverage of the birth of Ball and Arnaz’s real-life baby, Desi Arnaz, Jr., 1953
Today in History–August 19–the Library of Congress features children’s television. On this date in 1950, ABC aired its first Saturday morning children’s television shows: Animal Clinic and the variety show Acrobat Ranch, which featured two young acrobats, Tumbling Tim and Flying Flo, and children competing in games and stunts. Learn more about children’s television as well as the history of television by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the links below.

Radio and Television 1940 film

The Story of Television 1956 film

Preserving Digital Public Television webcast video

Television image set

Television: historical newspaper coverage (1910-1929)

Television: historical newspaper coverage (1930 on)

Children’s television legislation

Television legislation

American Archive of Public Broadcasting

Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Television Advertisements

Online exhibitions

Guided primary source analysis: Television finds a home

More theater & television teaching resources & primary source collections