1953: A children's television programme called Winky Dink and You, begins the move towards interactive TV. Kids in the US buy a special transparent sheet to place over the screen and, using ordinary crayons, help the show's characters draw things like pathways or tools. The series is discontinued because children begin drawing directly on the TV screen. See www.toonarific. com/w/WinkyDink.html
1959: First use of telephone call-ins during NBC's Today Show.
1964: At&T demonstrates the first video telephone at the New York World's Fair.
1970: BBC technicians use the vertical blanking interval - the space between television frames - to send messages between transmitter sites around the UK. This technology was later developed into teletext. The technicians remain anonymous.
1972: BBC announces Ceefax. ITV announces Oracle.
1974: Ceefax launches.
December 1977: The world's first commercial interactive TV service opens in Ohio. Qube offers 30 channels divided between broadcast TV, pay-per-view and interactive programming. Despite its popularity, it is not a commercial success.
1979: Prestel is launched in the UK. Although designed to be used on TV sets using a special adaptor (with a modem), many users access the service via home computers. First commercially available technology to link the TV with the telephone. See www.prestel.co.uk
November 1988: The BBC broadcasts What's your Story?, a children's TV programme presented by Sylvester McCoy. The show asks viewers to phone in with suggestions of what happens next. The best ideas are then used.
1993: Oracle changes its name to Teletext and uses the Fastext buttons for its quiz, Bamboozle. The buttons enable users to navigate pages more quickly.
1994: Channel Four programme Gamesmaster takes messages from an internet chat room and puts them on to TV via Teletext subtitles. There are delays in the messages appearing on screen so although popular, it only runs for one season. Videotron pilots interactive TV in the south-east. The analogue system allows viewers to choose content and make sports bets. Kellogg's Frosties broadcast an interactive ad.
April 1996: BT runs an interactive TV trial in Ipswich and Colchester. Interactive ads for Walkers Crisps allow viewers to play a quiz, watch the 10 greatest goals or play a spot-the-bag game.
June 1996: Television Par Satellite becomes the first broadcaster to launch digital interactive services fully. Rival Canal+ follows suit.
October 1998: Sky Digital launches its 140-channel service via satellite. The handset gives access to TV guides on screen, though customers wait a year before the interactive shopping service Open is available.
March 1999: NTL launches a trial interactive TV service.
July 1999: Cable & Wireless signs 10,000 subscribers. The interactive services allow access to a range of websites. C&W is now part of NTL. Two-Way TV launches its games and quiz service.
August 1999: Interactive football makes its debut on Sky Digital. Viewers of the Arsenal v Manchester United game can view highlights during the game, access statistics and select different camera angles.
September 2000: ONdigital launches ONnet, a system that it says allows full internet access via a set-top box.Sky's first interactive ad, for Domino's Pizza.
Autumn 2000: Telewest's Active Digital shopping platform finally goes live after being launched nearly a year before. Services to be rolled out in 2001 include video on demand. NTL rolls out its internet TV service.
March 2001: The Advertising Standards Authority rules that an ONdigital ad "misleadingly exaggerated" its claim that its interactive TV service offered "full internet access".
April 2001: Newham Council in east London announces plans to issue set top boxes to council tenants to report faults.
