United States: number of telephones, radios and TVs 1876-1986

In the United States, the expansion of communication technology in the 20^th century transformed everyday life for American citizens. The patent for the telephone was granted in 1876, and by the end of the century there were over a million units operational across the country. Radio technology was also developed in the late 19^th century, but its commercial application was not in effect until the 1920s - however, as radio transmissions were wireless they required less infrastructural investment, and more individual households owned a radio in the 1930s than the total number of telephones in use across the country.

It was not until after the Second World War that TV ownership became widespread in the U.S., and it was the most quickly-adopted of the three major technologies, with ownership reaching a similar level to radio ownership by the 1960s. In 1962, there were 53 million households in the U.S., 50 million owned a radio, while 46 million owned a TV.