Vol. 10 · Portmanteaus ·Mid-century: TV and science ·1949
Telethon
television marathon
- Meaning
- An extended TV broadcast, usually raising money for charity.
- Source words
- television + marathon
- Coined by
- collective
- Year
- 1949
Background
Coined for Milton Berle's 14-hour 1949 fundraiser for the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. Jerry Lewis's Labor Day telethon (1966–2010) made the form iconic.
Mid-century: TV and science
Two engines dominated: television (sitcom, televangelist) and post-war big science (pulsar, transistor). Many mid-century coinages came from scientific style sheets and industry journals.
Two words, one coinage.
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