Haha! Honestly I didn't know where or when it was invented, but I knew you were gonna quote me something!
I was actually in one of the early test-markets for cable TV way back when I was a very-young kid. We got only the "big three" broadcast networks, and HBO (it was part of the original HBO rollout outside of Wilkes-Barre).
My parents signed up because it was cheap (since it was considered a test) and we had NO over-the-air reception. Later on the price went up (and HBO was no longer free), our OTA reception improved somewhat, and we cancelled. Then, I'll never forget... There was a big football game of some kind on (I don't remember what one, I was a kid), and my dad was trying to watch downstairs after I was sent to bed.
I'd
never heard such swearing before...
The next week, we had cable again.