Origins
No single person can claim invention of the television. First postulated in the late 19th century, the idea for a system that could transmit images through the air was developed incrementally by many researchers. Their efforts culminated in the 1920s, when both an American, Charles Francis Jenkins, and a Briton, John Logie Baird, above, built successful prototypes.

• The 100 Best TV Shows
• The Long Odyssey of the Cell Phone