January 26, 2026
Who invented TV? Comments explode
Television is 100 years old today
TV turns 100 in Soho — cue Baird vs Farnsworth, “HD” jokes, and screen fears
TLDR: TV turns 100 with Baird’s 1926 Soho demo, but commenters argue the real credit belongs to Farnsworth’s later system. Jokes about old-school “HD,” warnings about TV’s hypnotic pull, and nostalgic home movies turn a birthday into a debate about who truly shaped our screen-obsessed world.
Television just blew out 100 candles, and the party started above an Italian café in Soho, where Scottish tinkerer John Logie Baird dazzled journalists in 1926 with spinning discs, a winking paper mask, and a mannequin named Stooky Bill. He even put a nervous office worker, William Taynton, under scorching lamps to become TV’s first human star. A sliced beard, a Times blurb, and boom—history. But the comments? That’s where the fireworks are. One camp insists Baird’s electro‑mechanical gizmo was a charming dead end, while modern TV owes its soul to American inventor Philo Farnsworth. “So who actually invented TV?” asks jedberg, with racl101 chiming in, “Thank you Mr. Farnsworth.” The national pride vibes are real. Meanwhile, tosti pokes the bear: “High definition is nearly 90 years old?” Translation: early “HD” meant “kinda clearer,” not your 4K binge. Then bilsbie drops the spicy take: video’s “hypnotic power” slips past our mental defenses—like early TV experiments predicting today’s algorithmic trance. Amid the brawl, TacticalCoder brings vibes, sharing family reels shot on a vintage “Pathé Baby” camera (link), turning the thread into a cozy time capsule. The verdict: Baird lit the fuse, Farnsworth built the fireworks, and the crowd is still arguing under the glow of the screen.
Key Points
- •Television’s decisive early public demonstration occurred at 22 Frith Street, Soho, on 26 January 1926 by John Logie Baird.
- •Baird’s initial experiments began in Hastings in 1923 with improvised transmitting equipment and the first image of a St John Ambulance medal.
- •Gordon Selfridge hosted Baird’s demonstrations at Selfridges’ Palm Court, earning Baird £60 to fund further development.
- •By October 1925, Baird transmitted images with gradations using a dummy (Stooky Bill) and later televised William Taynton as the first human subject.
- •Members of the press and Royal Institution attended the 1926 demonstration; The Times reported on it two days later, and a blue plaque was unveiled in 1951.