When Was the First Television Made?
Before the invention of television and the widespread availability of it, news and entertainment was only available by listening to the radio or going to the movies or reading a book. Now, information and entertainment is available instantly from around the world, just by turning on your TV.
Many developments in science were required to set the stage for the development of the television. For example, the cathode ray tube (CRT) is one of the central parts of the television.
The images that we watch are produced from an electron beam that flows over the surface of the tube. As electrons strike the surface of the tube, a bright pulse of light is emitted. The signal fed to the input of the electron beam control circuit will determine what is seen on the CRT.
When Was the First Television Made?
A brilliant young high school student was the first person to envision television. His name was Philo Farnsworth. He came from a poor farming family in Utah but his aptitude for electronics was recognized early in his schooling.
After graduating from high school at the age of 15, he moved to Beaver City and was tutored by Brigham Young himself. He was admitted to Brigham Young University at the age of fifteen. He attended the University for only a few years before his father passed away. He was then forced to leave school and go to work to support his family.
Zworykin's Contribution
By the age 21, Philo began to file patents on different aspects of his invention. At the same time, a Russian immigrant, Vladimir Zworykin, a scientist employed by RCA, had also developed the ideas of how to make a television system.
He designed the system in drawings but had not built a prototype yet. Since RCA didn’t want to have to pay royalties on the system, they took Philo to court. Philo won the case against him, as well as the appeal that RCA filed. Finally, RCA agreed to pay Philo royalties on his invention.
One of the real pieces of evidence that swung the case in his favor was the fact that, while the Russian had the same idea and a design to build a system, Philo had already built one and demonstrated it to the press in 1928. Before the system could be commercialized, the Second World War broke out and progress was halted. After the war, the time limit on the patents had almost expired. As soon as their time limit had expired, RCA quickly bought them and proceeded with their development for the open market. They had cheated Philo out of his share of the royalties.
Over the next several decades, the television would make a significant impact on society as a whole. News was more accessible in American homes. The television also brought a wide variety of entertainment into the homes of people around the World. Everything from variety shows and comedies to movies that one typically had to go to the theatre to view could be seen in the comfort of home.