In the 1950s, the Radio Corporation of America was hard at work on developing a television screen so thin that it could hang on the wall like a picture. Join historian Benjamin Gross as he explains how a group of RCA scientists and engineers worked on this problem and developed a new form of electronic display that relied on liquid crystals that would make a flat-panel television possible– even though RCA’s dreams never materialized in a flat screen television that the company could sell. Gross’ talk is based on his 2018 book, The TVs of Tomorrow: How RCA’s Flat-Screen Dreams Led to the First LCDs. Copies of the book will be available to purchase, and Gross will sign copies after the talk. This talk is held in conjunction with a celebration of RCA’s centennial anniversary.
The Sarnoff Collection, a museum dedicated to the history of communication technology, is located on the second floor of Roscoe West Hall at The College of New Jersey. Visitor parking is available at the entrance to Parking Lot 17 and on the circle in front of the Education School. All Sarnoff events are free and open to the public.
