Bell, was struck with an inspiration while plowing a potato field. One night, while reading an electrical
magazine, he came across the notion of "pictures that could fly through the air" on radio waves. He
became determined to overcome the failures of others who tried to accomplish this feat. He read about
electrons, magnets, and cathode ray tubes, and began to formulate an idea for his invention. One day,
while plowing the field, back and forth in rows, he envisioned transmitting images, line by line, using those
same electrons and magnets, inside a cathode ray tube. Philo and his wife set up a small shop in San
Francisco, and set about their life's work. In 1927, Philo and his associates were successful in transmitting
their first image: a straight line. In 1930, Philo was granted a patent for his ideas, and in 1939, his chief
competitors, David Sarnoff and RCA, agreed to pay royalties for the use of those patents. The
development of television stalled when World War II came about, and at this time, it's principal inventor
vanished into obscurity, only being recognized as the true father of tv in recent years.
1939. The broadcast was the first televised Presidential Address, by Franklin D. Roosevelt. The first
RCA set, used in the initial broadcast, was the TRK-12, priced at an astronomical-at-the-time cost of
$600. It was designed by Turkish inventor John Vassos.
Fair. It was specially built with a Lucite
casing to prove to crowds that there
was no trickery involved.
model