The History of aTe\CeWSieya Holly SwaldiBTV \VaSileya) 4 Few inventions have had as much effect on contemporary American society as television 4 Before 1947 the number of U.S. homes with television sets could be measured "Nin the thousands. By the late 1990s, 98 percent of U.S. homes had at least one television set, and those sets were on for an average of more than seven hours a dayTelevision’s Origin Biof History: ~ ‘There was no single inventor of the television, there were many inventors working on the idea ofwatching pictures on a screen Inventors from all over the world had been working on transmitiing Pictures or objects onto a screen since the 1830's, but the frst physical television didn't evolve untl the 1900's.