The Invention of Television

The Invention and History of Television

*Incomplete

"The instrument can teach, it can illuminate, it can even inspire. But only if human beings are willing to use it to

those ends. Otherwise, it is just wires and lights in a box." Edward R. Murrow, NBC studios in NEW York on

June 2, 1953.

You use it all the time. It's a part of your every day life, but do you really have any idea who invented it?

Television is the center of the household. It will always be there. You cannot ignore it just as you cannot ignore a

plague. Not many ponder it's power or how it works. This paper tells of the man who did. In fact he invented it. Philo

Taylor Farnsworth who was the American inventor of the television during the first half of the century from 1927-1956

had a significant impact on history because television dramatically changed politics and culture throughout the world.

What Edward R. Murrow meant was that television was a great thing if used correctly, if not it was useless.

Historical Background

Philo Taylor Farnsworth was born in Beaver, Utah on August 19,1906. He discovered the subject of

electricity, as a young boy. He became very fascinated with it. He later saw a science magazine that had a article in it

about a new idea which an author described as,"...pictures that fly through the air..." Young Philo became interested

and decided to look into it. At this time television had already been invented by some inventors such as Paul Nipkow

and John Logie Baird, but they had only created mechanical television with spinning disks or mirrors. Philo new that

you could not spin disks fast enough to create a moving picture. He only knew of one thing that could; the electron.

One day Philo was daydreaming while disk harrowing a potato field with a two horse team. Row by row by

row. Suddenly he got an idea that if he could put lines of dots row by row on the television to make a picture, he

would have something. This single idea started the whole thing. At fifteen years of age Philo created his first television

system design and showed the design to his chemistry teacher, Justin Tolman. Philo covered a couple of chalkboards

with diagrams. After the death of his father, Lewis Farnsworth, Philo quit school to take care of his family.

Philo applied for an office boy job. He was interviewed by George Everson who was impressed by his school