When was electronic TV first available to public in USA?

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day all.

I've got a question I've been thinking of asking for a while. I'm wanting to know when was B&W electronic television first available to the public in USA?

For a while I've believed it was first available in 1939 when the World Fair was happening, however I've been reading up that prior to 1939 broadcasts were made on an experimental and irregular basis and I was wondering if electronic TV sets were available for sale to the public during the experimental years 1936-1938?

[David Roper]

Du Mont began marketing sets in the latter part of 1938 and the early version of their model 180 is widely reported to be the first electronic set sold in the US. However there is documentation that a small-time outfit called CSI was offering simple electronic sets prior to Du Mont.

[Sandy G]

Yeah, I remember seeing when I was a kid, a prewar pic of a rather uneasy looking young woman sitting & trying to balance a 14" & a 20" Dumont CRTs on their nether ends...They looked kinda like huge 7JP4s, or the biggest spotlight bulbs you ever saw in your whole, entire life...Maybe they told her how dangerous they were if she busted 'em or something, I dunno...But she looked like she was NOT a Happy Camper over the deal...

[Steve McVoy]

Here is the photo, Sandy:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/dumont_20AP4.html

Here are some other prewar tubes:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/prewar_crts.html

[Sandy G]

Dat's it !! (grin)