when were tv dinners first made?!
Answers:
Previous answer is correct - the first TV dinner, by the Swanson people, came in an aluminium tray with 3 sections [like a civvy mess-tin] and held a piece of fried chicken, some green peas, and mashed potatoes with a pat of butter on top. It was considered thrilling in those faraway days to have your dinner on trays in front of the telly, and these frozen dinners were designed for just that use. Other ingredients came along in due course - potroast, turkey, ham - other veggies and [oh amazing!] even a 4th compartment for a pudding. Apple crisp, berry crisp, and then a form of chocolate brownie were added. It all still tasted like cardboard, but nowadays there are actually tasty frozen din-dins. It all started with Swanson's trays in the early 1950's.
The term TV dinner is a genericized trademark originally used for a brand of packaged meal developed in 1953 for C.A. Swanson & Sons.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_dinners