Television was introduced to Americans in 1939 and began to gain a foothold after World War II (1939–45). In the 1950s, the sale of TV sets and the boom in programming made TV America’s favorite source of entertainment.
Consider the numbers: In 1946, 7,000 TV sets were sold; in 1948, 172,000 sets were sold; and in 1950, 5 million sets were sold. In 1950, just under 20 percent of American homes contained a TV set. Ten years later, nearly 90 percent of homes contained a TV—and some even had color TVs. The number of TV stations, channels, and programs all grew to meet this surging demand.
The 1950s truly were the decade of the TV.
Here below is a set of vintage photos from a 1956 Motorola television catalog. It features all the makes and models available that year.
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| Motorola Color TV With Large Two-in-One Picture 19CK2 |
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| 21-inch Motorola Eye-Conditioned TV 21K39 |
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| 21-inch Motorola Pushbutton Turn-On 21K42 |
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| Compact 24-inch Motorola TV 24T4 |
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| Compact Motorola 21-inch TV 21T28 |
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| Finest Motorola 21-inch TV 21K45 |
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| Handsome Motorola 24-inch console 24K10 |
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| Most Economical Motorola 21-inch TV 21T25 |
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| Motorola 17-inch Table Set in Decorator Colors 17T25 |
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| Motorola 17-inch TV...New Clock-timer 17T26 |
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| Motorola 21-inch console TV 21K40 |
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| Motorola 21-inch Consolette 21C4 |
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| Motorola 21-inch Decorator Table Model 21T27 |
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| Motorola 21-inch Decorator TV 21T26 |
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| Motorola 21-inch Eye-Conditioned TV 21K44 |
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| Motorola 21-inch TV with Every New Feature 21K41 |
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| Motorola 21-inch TV, Right-up-front Controls 21K38 |
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| Motorola 24-inch home theater console TV 24K11 |
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| Motorola 24-inch TV...Modestly Priced 24K9 |
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| Motorola Color TV Consolette..Thriftiest Color Set 19CT1 |
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| Motorola Color TV With Finest Picture, Finest Sound 19CK1 |
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| Priced for Everyone -17-inch Motorola TV 17T24 |
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| The Motorola Golden Beam 21-Inch Turn-Table Console 21K43 |
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| The Motorola Golden View 24-inch Table TV 24T3 |
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| Thrifty Motorola 21-inch Console 21K37 |