A very long way in 100 years: television hits a century

John Logie Baird Demonstrating Television

John Logie Baird demonstrates his "televisor", a receiver for a mechanical system of television transmission involving a spinning disk. Source: Getty / Bettmann/Bettmann Archive

100 years ago Scottish inventor John Logie Baird revealed the first television, called the Televisor, to the world. Those first pictures, flickering images of the head of a ventriloquist's doll, sparked a revolution in social entertainment and culture.

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Published 11 February 2026 6:00pm

Updated 11 February 2026 6:12pm

By Allan Lee

Presented by Kate Onomichi

Source: SBS

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100 years ago Scottish inventor John Logie Baird revealed the first television, called the Televisor, to the world. Those first pictures, flickering images of the head of a ventriloquist's doll, sparked a revolution in social entertainment and culture.

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