Television didn't attract much public notice until Bell Telephone demonstrated its new system in New York in April 1927. Shown on a screen two inches high by three inches wide-roughly the dimensions of a modern credit card-the broadcast consisted of a brief speech of encouragement from Washington by Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover, followed by some entertainment from the AT&T studio in Whippany, New Jersey-a vaudeville comic who first told some Irish jokes and then changed into blackface and told some "darky" jokes.
Television remained under the radar until a pivotal demonstration by Bell Telephone in April 1927 in New York. This event showcased a small two-by-three-inch screen, similar in size to a modern credit card. The broadcast featured Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover delivering an encouraging speech from Washington, followed by entertainment from an AT&T studio performance in Whippany, New Jersey.
The entertainment portion included a vaudeville comic who began with Irish jokes...
