The First Television Blog Post #4

In September of 1927, Philo Taylor Farnsworth developed an object that would change the world. He created the first Television.  

 

This is an invention, that people may not know who created off the top of their head.
When you think of Thomas Edison, you may think of the light bulb. When you think of Steve Jobs, you know that he created Apple. But when you think of the first television, most people do not know who created it. 

 

Philo Farnsworth was born on August 19th 1906, in a log cabin built by his grandfather. 

Farnsworth's Childhood Home in Indian Springs, Utah

Farnsworth grew up on a farm and at the age of 14, he had his first idea about the creation of the Television. "His "big idea" was that if he could train electrons to scan a picture from side-to-side, the way his horses moved across the field, he could send images to distant locations where they could be reconstructed line-by line. " 

 If there were any issues on the farm that needed a repairman, Farnsworth would swarm the repair man with questions due to his curiosity. 

While working on the farm, Philo had his first idea of the television, and the impact that this creation would acquire. 

Farnsworth attended Rigby High School and discussed his ideas of the electrical television system with his physics and chemistry teachers. Down below is the sketch that Farnsworth drew for his teachers. 

Philo T. Farnsworth's Sketch for Teacher Justin Tolman

Philo was a talented scientist and inventor from a very young age. "He turned his family's home appliances to electrical power during his high school years and won a national contest with his invention of the tamper-proof lock."

Farnsworth went to Birmingham Young University in 1922 but was forced to drop out due to his father becoming sick. He continued to invent a created while taking care of his father. 

He then met a woman named Elma who went by "Pem", they got married and ended up moving to San Francisco together. 

While in San Francisco, Farnsworth hand picked a team of scientist and inventors to help him make his television system come to life. 

Farnsworth's 202 Green Street Lab in San Fransisco

Throughout his time in San Francisco, Pem became his right hand. Philo trained her to do technical drawings, how to take lab notes, and even how to help with experiments.

Pem ended up becoming the first woman televised. 

The First Working Camera Tube (1927)

First Electronic TV Camera (1927)

On September 3, 1928, Farnsworth showed his innovation to the press. 

In 1929, he improved his design by eliminating the motorized power generator. This was a huge step for the electronic television system because the TV now had no mechanical parts. 

Shortly after the showing, he received an offer from RCA, (Radio Cooperation of America). Farnsworth denied the offer. Radio Cooperation of America wanted to purchase the rights to his device, but Farnsworth did not want to give that up. 

RCA ended up hiring and working with Russian scientist, Vladimir Zworykin . Vladimir reached out to Farnsworth claiming that he wanted to be an investor for Farnworth's inventions. 

Farnsworth took him through his lab in San Francisco and showed him everything that his team had been working on, including all his secrets. 

Vladimir took this information back to RCA and claimed he had the rights to the first electrical television system. 

This situation was taken to court. Throughout the late 20's and 30's, during the Roaring 20's, Farnsworth delt with legal charges saying that his inventions were in violation of patent filed prior to his by the inventor Vladimir Zworykin. 

While in court, RCA had no proof, no evidence, and no sketches. Farnsworth had all of them. Farnsworth ended up pulling his sketches from high school, which proved that he came up with the idea first. 

After years and years of Farnsworth not getting the recognition he deserved, NASA selected Philo Farnsworth's original image dissector as the television camera to use on the moon.

 

THE FIRST MAN ON THE MOON  

"On July 20,1969, as Neil Armstrong took his historic first step on the Moon, Philo Farnsworth told his family, “OK, turn the damned set on”.  He watched as the world marveled at the live television pictures from the moon. But Philo wasn't just an observer. Month earlier, when NASA was selecting the perfect television camera system to use on the Moon, they chose Philo's original image dissector. It had no moving parts and the electromagnets created their own gravity. His satellite cameras had already withstood the rigors of space travel. So Philo Farnsworth’s story had came full circle. His camera being the first to televise the Moon in 1935, and the first to televise from the Moon over three decades later. When his wife, Pem, asked him how it made him feel, he said,  “This makes it all worthwhile. Before, I wasn't too sure."

Farnsworth's invention of the television has changed our world. The invention the television has allowed us to have the TV industry.

The TV impacted actors and athletes in a negative way due to less attendance for shows, movies, plays, and even sporting events. Why would you pay to attend an event when you could watch it live at home. 

On the positive side, television has transformed how information has been given. It has given us live footage, faster news delivery, a greater audience reach, and has given people the ability to have more political participation.  

The creation of the television changed our knowledge and perspective of the world. 

 

Biography of Farnsoworth's life

American Inventor

Inventor of Television

The History 

First Television Set (1929)

The next year, Farnsworth presented his innovation to the press. He then revealed his all-electronic prototype. What was funny was that this was the same device that he sketched to his professors in high school. 

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