In-Flight entertainment began nearly 100 years ago, in the 1920s. It has evolved so much from its humble beginnings.
When I fly on an airplane, I have my iPhone on airplane mode to listen to music, or I have my laptop in case I want to watch a movie or T.V. show. Sometimes there is even WIFI and I can use my phone or computer as if I was in my own home. Either way, in-flight entertainment is something I take for granted and do not think much about anymore. But that obviously was not always the case.
The first form of in-flight entertainment was the silent film ‘Howdy Chicago’ shown on a plane of 11 passengers in 1921. In-flight entertainment kept on in the 1930s, and in 1936 in Germany, a lightweight piano was put on a flight for the entertainment of its passengers.
It was not until the 1980s when a new technology of projectors replaced the outdated video cassettes and projectors found in planes until then. On top of the new projectors, headphones, as well as audio cassettes, were offered to passengers. The 1990s saw the addition of small LCD screens on the back of every first-class seat. Then, in the early 2000s, passengers started to bring their own electronics onto planes. Now, there are so many forms of in-flight entertainment to choose from but don’t forget how it started.