Philo Farnsworth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Philo T. Farnsworth
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Farnsworth in 1939
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| Born | August 19, 1906 Beaver, Utah, U.S.
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| Died | March 11, 1971 (aged 64) Holladay, Utah, U.S.
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| Resting place | Provo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation | Scientist |
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| Known for | Inventor of the first fully electronic television; over 169 United States and foreign patents |
| Spouse(s) | Elma "Pem" Gardner (1908–2006) |
| Children | 4 sons |
| Relatives | Agnes Ann Farnsworth (sister) |
Philo Taylor Farnsworth (born August 19, 1906 – died March 11, 1971) was an amazing American inventor. He is famous for creating the first fully electronic television system. The United States government even gave him the first patent for television! He also invented important parts like the video camera tube and the image dissector. From 1938 to 1951, his company, Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation, sold complete television systems in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Later in his life, Philo Farnsworth also invented a device called the Fusor, which was designed to create nuclear fusion. While it wasn't used for making electricity, it became a useful source of neutrons. Farnsworth held many patents, mostly for his work in radio and television.
Contents
Early Life and Big Ideas
A Young Inventor's Start
Philo Farnsworth was born on August 19, 1906, in a small log cabin near Beaver, Utah. He was the oldest of five children. When he was 12, his family moved to a ranch near Rigby, Idaho. Philo was thrilled because their new home had electricity! He quickly learned about mechanical and electrical things. He even fixed a broken generator and turned his mother's hand-powered washing machine into an electric one. He loved electronics and found many technology magazines in their attic. He even won $25 in a contest for inventing a special car lock.
School Days and Early Challenges
At Rigby High School, Philo was excellent in chemistry and physics. He even talked to his science teacher, Justin Tolman, about his idea for an electronic television system. He drew many diagrams on the blackboard to explain it, and his teacher encouraged him. Later, these drawings helped him in a legal case against RCA.
In 1923, his family moved to Provo, Utah. After his father passed away in 1924, Philo, still in high school, took on the responsibility of supporting his family. He graduated from Brigham Young High School and even scored very high on tests for the United States Naval Academy. But he realized that if he joined the military, his inventions would belong to the government. So, he left the Academy to pursue his television dreams and support his family. He later attended Brigham Young University and used their labs to continue his research. There, he met Elma "Pem" Gardner, who would later become his wife.
Moving to California
Philo and his friend Cliff Gardner, Pem's brother, tried to start a radio repair business in Salt Lake City. It didn't work out, but Philo soon met two people, Leslie Gorrell and George Everson, who believed in his television ideas. They gave him $6,000 to start his research, and he set up a lab in Los Angeles.
Philo married Pem on May 27, 1926. They moved to California, and he applied for his first television patent. It was approved on August 26, 1930. By then, they had moved to San Francisco, where Philo opened a new lab at 202 Green Street.
Building the Future of Television
Inventing Electronic Television
Philo knew that older television systems used spinning disks and mechanical parts. He believed an all-electronic system would create a much better picture. His supporters agreed he should get patents for his ideas, which was very important later on. On September 7, 1927, in his San Francisco lab, Farnsworth's image dissector camera tube sent its first image: a simple straight line! His wife, Pem, remembered him saying, "There you are – electronic television!" By 1928, he showed his invention to the press. His investors wanted to see results, so the first image he showed them was a dollar sign. In 1929, he improved the system so it had no moving parts at all. That same year, he even transmitted the first live human images, including a small picture of his wife, Pem.
Legal Battles and Success
Many people tried to invent television, but Philo Farnsworth created the world's first working all-electronic system. He showed it to the public at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in 1934. Another inventor, Vladimir K. Zworykin from RCA, visited Farnsworth's lab. He was impressed by Farnsworth's "Image Dissector" and later worked on his own television ideas.
In 1931, David Sarnoff of RCA offered to buy Farnsworth's patents for $100,000. He also wanted Farnsworth to work for RCA, but Philo refused. RCA then tried to claim that their inventor, Zworykin, had invented electronic television first. However, the U.S. Patent Office decided in 1934 that Farnsworth was the true inventor of the image dissector. RCA appealed, but Farnsworth won again. Eventually, RCA agreed to pay Farnsworth royalties for using his inventions.
In 1932, Farnsworth traveled to England and met John Logie Baird, another television pioneer. Baird had created a mechanical television system. In 1934, Farnsworth's company showed his electronic television to the public in Philadelphia. He also made an agreement with a German company, and some of his cameras were used to broadcast the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
New Inventions and Recognition
Back in his lab, Farnsworth's company began regularly broadcasting entertainment programs. He also invented a way to sterilize milk using radio waves and a fog-penetrating beam for ships and airplanes.
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In 1938, Farnsworth started the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. In 1939, after many years of legal battles, RCA finally agreed to pay Farnsworth $1 million for a license to use his television patents. This allowed RCA to sell electronic television cameras to the public.
In 1951, International Telephone and Telegraph (ITT) bought Farnsworth's company. While working at ITT, Farnsworth developed many new ideas. These included early warning signals for defense, devices to find submarines, and an infrared telescope. He also created the PPI Projector, which improved radar displays and helped with early air traffic control systems.
Farnsworth also continued his nuclear fusion research at ITT, creating devices called "fusors." In 1967, he moved back to Utah to continue this research at Brigham Young University.
His wife, Pem, later shared a special memory. On July 20, 1969, they watched Neil Armstrong walk on the Moon on television. Philo turned to her and said, "Pem, this has made it all worthwhile." He had finally seen the incredible impact of his invention.
Philo Farnsworth passed away on March 11, 1971, at the age of 64. His wife, Pem, continued to work for decades to make sure his important place in history was recognized. She often said that they started television together. In 1999, Time magazine included Farnsworth in its list of the "100 Most Important People of the Century".
Farnsworth's Inventions
Electronic Television
Farnsworth first thought of the idea for his image dissector when he was just 14 years old. He demonstrated the first working version on September 7, 1927, shortly after his 21st birthday. He got the idea for scanning an image like a series of lines from watching how a farmer plows a field back and forth. His high school teacher even drew a sketch of Farnsworth's idea, which helped him win a patent lawsuit against RCA. The video camera tube that came from his work was used in almost all television cameras until the late 20th century.
Farnsworth also developed the "image oscillite," a special cathode ray tube that showed the pictures captured by his image dissector. He called his device an image dissector because it broke down the image into tiny pieces of electricity. He used a special element called cesium, which releases electrons when light hits it. In 1984, Farnsworth was honored by being inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
The Fusor
The Farnsworth fusor is a device he designed to create nuclear fusion. Unlike other fusion systems, the fusor shoots hot ions directly into a reaction chamber. When it was first introduced, it was the first device that could clearly show it was producing fusion reactions. While it has been difficult to turn it into a power source, the fusor has become a useful neutron source and is sold for this purpose today.
Other Important Inventions
By the time he passed away, Farnsworth held 300 U.S. and foreign patents. His inventions helped develop radar, infra-red night vision devices, the electron microscope, the baby incubator, the gastroscope, and the astronomical telescope.
Television Appearance
Even though he invented the technology, Farnsworth only appeared on television once. On July 3, 1957, he was a mystery guest on the CBS quiz show I've Got A Secret. The panel tried to guess his secret ("I invented electronic television."), but they couldn't! He received $80 and a carton of cigarettes for stumping them. The host, Garry Moore, then talked with Farnsworth about his research, including early high-definition TV and fusion power. Farnsworth explained, "My contribution was to take out the moving parts and make the thing entirely electronic, and that was the concept that I had when I was just a freshman in high school in the Spring of 1921 at age 14."
Legacy and Honors
Honors
- In 1967, Brigham Young University gave Farnsworth an honorary degree.
- In 2006, Farnsworth was given the Eagle Scout award posthumously (after his death). He had earned it but never received it.
- He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame in 2006.
- He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2013.
- He is recognized in the Hall of Fame of the Indiana Broadcast Pioneers.
Memorials
- A bronze statue of Philo T. Farnsworth represented the U.S. state of Utah in the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol from 1990 until 2018.
- Another statue of Farnsworth stands inside the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City.
- A historical marker in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, remembers Farnsworth's television work there in the 1930s.
- In 1981, a plaque honoring Farnsworth as The Genius of Green Street was placed at his San Francisco laboratory.
- In October 2008, the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco installed a statue of Farnsworth.
- A plaque honoring Farnsworth is located next to his former home in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
- Farnsworth is one of the inventors honored with a plaque in the "Inventor's Circle" at Epcot in Walt Disney World.
- A 1983 United States postage stamp honored Farnsworth.
- On January 10, 2011, Farnsworth was inducted into the San Francisco Hall of Fame.
- Farnsworth's television work, including an original TV tube, is on display at the Farnsworth TV & Pioneer Museum in Rigby, Idaho.
Things Named After Farnsworth
- The Philo T. Farnsworth Award is a special Emmy Award given to companies and organizations that have greatly impacted television engineering.
- The Philo Awards are an annual competition for public-access television in the Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and Michigan region.
- Philo, a streaming television company, is named after him.
- Farnsworth Peak in Utah is home to many television and FM radio transmitters.
- The scenic "Farnsworth Steps" in San Francisco are named for him.
- Several buildings and streets in Brownfield, Maine, are named for Farnsworth.
- The Philo T. Farnsworth Elementary School in Rigby, Idaho, is named in his honor.
Images for kids
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Farnsworth's house in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
See also
In Spanish: Philo Farnsworth para niños
