August 1951 No, not the kind of "Cable" you're thinking of.  This refers to AT&T phone lines which, in the pre-satellite era, delivered television (and radio) network signals to affiliated stations.  TV cable was a bit more expensive and time-consuming to install, so often it took a little time for outlying cities to receive live TV images.  Birmingham was added to the chain on September 17, 1951, meaning viewers would no longer have to suffer through subpar-quality "kinescope" films. Even if you didn't plan on donating blood, the sight of this thing coming toward you might cause you to lose some other bodily fluids. Your sweet tooth is feeling mighty wistful along about now, yes? GO TO AUGUST 1961 | RETURN TO "THIS MONTH" PAGE