The Last, Lone Inventor

From the colorless walks on the moon to the colorful flying spaceships in the sky, television has changed our lives! It has Empowered creativity in millions and given them confidence, hope, and the ambition to change the world.

The Last Lone Inventor

     It all began on the farm of a fourteen-year-old boy.  The boy was plowing his potato fields when he noticed furrows in the ground, which led him to the idea of the T.V, realizing that this system could transmit parallel lines of light. This boy sketched his plans out on paper and took them to his chemistry teacher.  One year later, this boy invented the television.

     Years later, a battle for custody of the television began. Philo Farnsworth vs. David Sarnoff was a battle of who will be the father of television. So who invented television? Both made significant contributions, such as color for tv and many other inventions such as the incubator. Philo Farnsworth, the same boy who initially came up with the idea of the television while working on his family’s farm, made the world’s first all-electronic television at the age of fifteen. This shows that you can do anything at whatever age; however, you sometimes have to fight for it. In 1928 Farnsworth was granted a patent for his television system, and David Sarnoff began a war. Using his power in money, Sarnoff declared himself the father of television. Farnsworth stood up to the legal challenge. David empowered himself by using the big Radio Corporation of America (RCA) to his advantage. Sarnoff offered 100k to Farnsworth, but Farnsworth rejected the deal. RCA sued Farnsworth for patent interference, but Farnsworth continued his fight against the big company. The long battle started taking its toll on Farnsworth mentally and physically. Throughout the years of his battle with Sarnoff, Farnsworth was struggling with depression, stress, and fatigue. Philo turned to alcohol to cope with the stress, which later determined his cause of death. Yet Farnsworth vowed to make the television system a reality, and his determination paid off. And so, Farnsworth won the case, due to a re-decision, which was one of the few victories against Sarnoff; but yet a big one. Farnsworth won, and so began a change in the world as we know it.

One Step For Man, One Giant Leap For Mankind

     Television has changed society and culture. When T.V was first introduced, people were astonished. T.V started becoming popular, and radio stations for T.V’s were created. Later on, television became a great hit and a way of boasting about technical power. As families sat in their living rooms watching tv, famous speeches such as “I Have a Dream,” changed the world! We even saw astronauts landing on the moon! Television shaped culture and society in profound ways. Bringing new art styles such as fashion and film, later bringing things to the world such as Youtube, and opened the door for phones and computers. This new mode of communication changed lives by bringing new information to the public. To think that this all started in a 14-year-old’s farm yard is just truly amazing.