The invention of television in the late 1920s would have lasting effects on the world. In the late 1940s, televisions began to appear in homes across the United States, although they were still expensive and rare at that time. The magic of television fascinated people, and in 1946, 13-year-old Jim Henson insisted that his family have their own television. As he would later say: “I pestered my family to buy a set. I really loved television” (quoted in ch. 2, Jones). Religiously watching all four channels available in the Washington, D.C. area throughout his teenage years, the lifelong gadget lover decided he was going to work in television. He watched variety shows and cartoons in middle school and high school, but during his senior year, a milestone for television occurred. In March 1954, television broadcast the hearings between Senator Joseph McCarthy and the American army. It was Jim's first experience with the immense power of television as an educator as well as an artist. This episode will stay with him all his life (ch. 2, Jones). From his late teens until his untimely death in 1990, Jim Henson worked in television and film. He is best known for creating The Muppets, but his work includes several experimental live-action short films and two feature films made with animatronics. He was fascinated by technology and innovation in puppetry and other media. For example, the documentary Youth 68, an hour-long production about the different lifestyles of the 1960s, was made for technical rather than political or social reasons. Jim was more interested in playing with the available technology of the time than conveying a message through his content. His love for complicated puppets would manifest... middle of paper ......, The Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock became the first Western shows to air in the Soviet Union and were broadcast in ninety countries in the total (ch 11).Jim's views on the power, role and responsibility of television can be summed up in his acceptance speech when he was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1987: Television is already one of the most powerful influences on our culture, but because it is so powerful there is a great responsibility that comes with it. And I think those of us who create programming, especially for children, need to be conscious of what we're putting out there. I think that’s what’s fun for me, and that’s why I’m so grateful for this very special honor…it makes my job – or rather my fun – so rewarding. (quoted in ch. 13, Jones) Works Cited Jones, Brian Jay. Jim Henson: The Biography. New York: Ballantine Books, 2013. Kindle eBook.