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World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

Photo source: Televisió de Catalunya. All rights reserved.


Join us today in celebrating Audiovisual Heritage Day! Today is important, because we believe that archives matter tremendously, and that preservation of information should be a priority. And there’s no better way of ensuring the survival of our audiovisual heritage than by making it publicly available.

World Day for Audiovisual Heritage is UNESCO’s way of raising awareness about the significance of preserving recorded sound and audiovisual documents, and highlighting the risks of losing untold amounts of information.

At EUscreen, we are proud of our amazing collection, and of making this heritage available to everyone. Today is our day, as we’re constantly working to preserve ever more audiovisual materials, while always looking to improve the way we showcase them.

In celebration, we present you with this glimpse into our shared memories from television’s past, available today through the magic of EUscreen. The history of television is told through its defining moments; such as the introduction of audio, the transition to color, the first images from under water, and the first images from outer space. This collection is a celebration of television technology, of the evolution of broadcasting, and our audiovisual heritage – the moving pictures we grew up with; the pictures that shaped us, and our societies. We hope you’ll enjoy!

 

What is television?

 


In 1951 the Actualités Françaises (French News) present the television to cinema-goers.

INA / France, 1951 [02:01]

Apollo 11 live from the moon

 


On 21 July 1969, Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the moon. The first pictures of this feat are broadcast live.

INA / France, 1969 [05:32]

History of TV – the 1990s

 


Sartire on the television of the 90s.

DW / Germany, 1992 [01:00]

The worlds first TV broadcast

 


First transmission tests from a television studio, and preparations for the first ever TV broadcast.

Luce / Italy, 1937 [01:05]

Invention of audio TV

 


A report on the inventor of the world’s first TV set with sound.

DW / Germany, 1986 [03:04]

Underwater television

 


Early experiments with a television camera immersed in water.

Luce / Italy, 1952 [00:51]


The first TV broadcasts in Spain

 


A report on the 40th anniversary of the first broadcasts by Spain’s public television, Televisión Española (TVE), which started broadcasting on October 28, 1956.

TVC / Spain, 1996 [01:51]

First entertainment TV program in French-speaking Belgium

 


Kinescope from the first entertainment TV program in French-speaking Belgium.

RTBF / Belgium, 1953 [00:47]

The first special effects machine for television

 


A technician from Buttes Chaumont explains how a special effects machine works to insert a picture of an actress into a photo backdrop.

INA / France, 1958 [04:12]

The production of TV news

 


This clip shows how news are produced from the event to the broadcast.

ORF / Austria, 1957 [01:59]

Television cameras in 1955

 


Stephen Wade explains the workings of three different television cameras used by the outside broadcast unit.

BBC / United Kingdom, 1955 [07:06]

Julius Bomholt on TV future

 


At the opening of the television station Fyn in December 1955, Denmark’s minister of education Julius Bomholt talks about the future of television.

DR / Denmark, 1955 [02:00]

 

Like to continue your journey through our audiovisual past? Take a look at our previous collections for more EUscreen content; Euroean Celebrations, Women’s Rights in Europe, European Theatre, All That Jazz, Film Festivals of Europe and Motorsport and Vintage Cars.

And stay tuned for more collections coming soon by following us on Facebook and Twitter!

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