# 1940 in television

The year 1940 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1940.

## Events

* January – The FCC has public hearings concerning television.
* January 12 - The first network telecast, a play entitled "Meet The Wife," is televised by NBC over W2XBS (NBC) and W2XB.
* February 25 – The first ice hockey game is televised in the United States, the New York Rangers vs Montreal Canadiens, from Madison Square Garden on W2XBS-TV.
* February 28 – The first basketball game is televised, from Madison Square Garden: Fordham University vs the University of Pittsburgh.
* March 10 – The Metropolitan Opera broadcast for the first time from NBC studios at Rockefeller Center an abridged performance of the first act of Pagliacci, along with excerpts from four other operas.
* March 15 – RCA reduces the price of television sets.
* May 21 – Bell Telephone Laboratories transmits a 441-line video signal, with a bandwidth of 2.7 MHz, by coaxial cable from New York to Philadelphia and back.
* June – W2XBS in New York (NBC) covers the Republican National Convention from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 33 hours, during a five-day period. The signal is transmitted via coaxial cable.
* August 1 – W2XBS goes out of commission from 1 August 1940 until the 27th of October 1940 while the transmitter is adjusted from 441-line picture to 525-line picture.
* August 29 – Peter Carl Goldmark of CBS announces his invention of a color television system.
* September 3 – CBS resumes its television transmissions with the first demonstration of high definition color TV, by W2XAB, transmitting from the Chrysler Building.
* November 5 - First televised Presidential election coverage is carried by W2XBS (NBC) and W2XWV (DuMont).

## Debuts

* February 3 - Art for Your Sake, an art discussion program hosted by Dr. Bernard Myers, debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).
* February 21 - NBC News with Lowell Thomas, a simulcast of Lowell Thomas’ daily radio newscast, debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).
* March 27- The Esso Television Reporter debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940).
* July 8 - Boxing from Jamaica Arena debuts on W2XBS (NBC) (1940-42).

## Television shows

| Series | Debut | Ended | Network |
| Art for Your Sake | February 3, 1940 | March 30, 1940 | NBC |
| NBC News with Lowell Thomas | February 21, 1940 | July 30, 1940 | NBC |
| The Esso Television Reporter | March 27, 1940 | May 31, 1940 | NBC |
| Boxing from Jamaica Arena | July 8, 1940 | May 18, 1942 | NBC |

## Programs ending during 1940

| Date | Series | Debut |
| May 31 | The Esso Television Reporter | March 27, 1940 |
| July 30 | NBC News with Lowell Thomas | February 21, 1940 |

## Births

* January 5 – Michael O'Donoghue, writer (died 1994)
* January 14 – Trevor Nunn, British theatre director
* January 19 – Mike Reid, English actor and comedian (died 2007)
* January 22 – John Hurt, English actor (died 2017)
* January 27 – James Cromwell, actor
* January 29 – Katharine Ross, actress
* January 31 – Stuart Margolin, actor, The Rockford Files (died 2022)
* February 2 – David Jason, English actor, Only Fools and Horses
* February 3 – Jim Hartz, television personality (died 2022)
* February 6
** Tom Brokaw, American journalist
** Jimmy Tarbuck, English comedian
* February 8 – Ted Koppel, journalist
* February 10 – Kathryn Mullen, puppeteer
* February 12 – Ralph Bates, English actor (died 1991)
* February 17 – John Lewis, politician (died 2020)
* February 20 – Smokey Robinson, singer
* February 22
** Don Cannon, American news anchor
** Judy Cornwell, English actress
* February 23 – Peter Fonda, actor (died 2019)
* February 24 – James Sloyan, actor
* February 27 – Howard Hesseman, actor, WKRP in Cincinnati, Head of the Class (died 2022)
* February 29
** Sonja Barend, talk show host
** Margit Carstensen, actress (died 2023)
** Yoshio Harada, actor (died 2011)
** Harvey Jason, actor
** Monte Kiffin, coach
* March 7 – Daniel J. Travanti, actor, Hill Street Blues
* March 10 – Chuck Norris, actor, Walker, Texas Ranger
* March 15 – Phil Lesh, musician
* March 26
** James Caan, actor, Las Vegas (died 2022)
** Nancy Pelosi, politician
* March 28 – Tony Barber, host
* April 2 – Penelope Keith, English actress, To The Manor Born
* April 12
** John Hagee, pastor
** Herbie Hancock, jazz pianist
* April 15 – Thea White, American voice actress (died 2021)
* April 17 – Chuck Menville, American television animator and writer (died 1992)
* April 25 – Al Pacino, actor
* April 30 – Burt Young, actor (died 2023)
* May 5 – Lance Henriksen, actor
* May 6 – Rick Husky, producer
* May 8
** Emilio Delgado, actor (died 2022)
** Ricky Nelson, actor (died 1985)
* May 9 – James L. Brooks, producer
* May 10 – Taurean Blacque, actor, Hill Street Blues (died 2022)
* May 15
** Roger Ailes, American television executive (died 2017)
** Lainie Kazan, American actress
* May 17 – Peter Gerety, actor
* May 22
** Michael Sarrazin, actor (died 2011)
** Bernard Shaw, journalist (died 2022)
* May 24 – Arvin Brown, American theatre and television director
* June 1 – René Auberjonois, actor, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (died 2019)
* June 2 – Maree Cheatham, actress (Search for Tomorrow, General Hospital, Days of Our Lives)
* June 6 – Richard Paul, actor (died 1998)
* June 11 – Daniel J. Sullivan, film director
* June 14 – Jack Bannon, actor, Lou Grant (died 2017)
* June 20 – John Mahoney, English-born actor, Frasier (died 2018)
* June 21 – Mariette Hartley, actress
* June 22 – Esther Rantzen, English consumer affairs presenter, That's Life!
* June 26 – Mel White, author
* July 3 – Michael Cole, actor, The Mod Squad
* July 6 – Jeannie Seely, singer
* July 7 – Ringo Starr, English rock drummer, The Beatles
* July 13 – Patrick Stewart, English actor, Star Trek: The Next Generation
* July 17
** Tim Brooke-Taylor, English comedy performer, The Goodies (died 2020)
** Verne Lundquist, American sportscaster
* July 18 – James Brolin, actor, Marcus Welby, M.D.
* July 22 – Alex Trebek, game show host, Jeopardy! (died 2020)
* July 23 – Don Imus, American radio/television host, Imus in the Morning (died 2019)
* July 24 – Dan Hedaya, American actor
* July 31 – Roy Walker, television host
* August 3 – Martin Sheen, actor, The West Wing
* August 19
** Jill St. John, actress
** Lou Wagner, actor
* August 22 – Judy Nugent, actress (died 2023)
* August 23 – Richard Sanders, actor, WKRP in Cincinnati
* August 26 – Don LaFontaine, voice actor (died 2008)
* August 28
** Ken Jenkins, actor, Scrubs
** Bonnie Turner, producer
* September 1 – Gary Bender, sportscaster
* September 5 – Raquel Welch, actress (died 2023)
* September 11 – Brian De Palma, screenwriter
* September 12 – Linda Gray, actress, Dallas
* September 21 – Bill Kurtis, news anchor
* October 4 – Christopher Stone, actor (The Interns) (died 1995)
* October 9 – John Lennon, English singer-songwriter, The Beatles (killed 1980)
* October 16 – Barry Corbin, American actor
* October 19 – Michael Gambon, Irish-born British actor, The Singing Detective (died 2023)
* October 28 – Susan Harris, writer
* November 9 – Reynaldo Villalobos, director
* November 13 – Daniel Pilon, Cuban-born actor, Dallas (died 2018)
* November 15 – Sam Waterston, actor, Law & Order
* November 20 – Tony Butala, singer
* November 21 – Freddy Beras-Goico, TV host
* November 22 – Terry Gilliam, actor
* November 27 – Bruce Lee, actor (died 1973)
* December 2 – Connie Booth, actress, Fawlty Towers
* December 7 – Carole Simpson, broadcast journalist
* December 11 – Donna Mills, actress, Knots Landing
* December 12 – Dionne Warwick, singer
* December 21
** Arvi Lind, Finnish newsreader
** Don Phillips, American casting director (died 2021)
* December 30 – James Burrows, director