Philo T. Farnsworth (born Philo Taylor Farnsworth: August 19, 1906- March 11, 1971) was born in a small log cabin located in the small rural town of Beaver Utah. He spent the majority of his childhood working on the family dairy farm alongside his parents and siblings. From a very young age he had a strong interest in science and inventing. From a very young age he was fascinated with technical objects particularly the telephone and the phonograph. He had even tinkered with the farm’s generator, his mothers sewing machine and the washing machine. His family moved to Rigby, Idaho when he was 14 years old. He found solace in the family attic where he would read for hours. Deep within his love of science and science-fiction books, he became so diligently passionate about what he would discover. Notebooks, fields, front lawns and laboratories all lent their services as his testing ground for something new and exciting. While still in high school , he converted the appliances in the family home to electric power. His first real job was on the railroad as an electrician. His love of science continued as he furthered his studies later at Brigham Young University.
Career
Even though he was forced to drop out of college after his second year due to his fathers death, his perseverance and love for inventing never stopped. He worked hard to make money and move his wife, Elma “Pem” Gardner Farnsworth to San Francisco, in 1926, where he continued his work. Through the financial help of several sponsors over the course of a year, Philo finally had managed to produce an image on September 7, 1927.
Invention
Shortly after arriving in San Francisco, he unveiled his all -electronic television prototype. This eventually led to his title of “the father of the modern television”. While he led the way with his “image dissector” his life was full of lawsuits following the unveiling. Radio Corporation of America had attempted a patent fight claiming it had developed the first TV tube but the Patent Office upheld Philo’s claims. Eventually, the legal battles were much more that the young man with a family to care for could deal with so he moved his family across the country in 1933 to continue other avenues of research.
Contributions to science after this point were significant although not all related to the television. At one point he had attempted to determine a process he could use to sterilize milk through utilizing radio waves. He also was researching technologies for radar, infrared telescopes and he was fascinated by nuclear fusion. Eventually, he founded his own Television and Radio Corporation in Indiana. RCA was able to finally market and sell their first working electronic televisions for home use and ended up paying Philo a fee of a million dollars.
Later Life
By 1967 he returned to Utah to teach at Brigham Young University. He opened his own lab which eventually faltered when funding grew tight. By 1970 he was in severe debt and forced to stop his research. As he had throughout his life, he became so encompassed in his work that he would forget to take care of himself, even forgetting to eat and sleep. He had worked on other well known technologies such as radar and night vision, finishing his life while tacking the still unsolved riddle of cold fusion. Having battled depression for decades he developed a love of alcohol. He died of pneumonia on March 11, 1971. Following his death, his wife Elma continued to fight for his recognition. She published a biography in 1990. Perhaps most unusual is the recollection that Philo never had considered himself and inventor. “Phil was asked what the most important invention was he ever made. He said, ‘I never made an invention. I happened to be the conduit through which these things were given to the people.’ (Fidel, 1999)”
Awards
Philo was inducted in to the San Francisco Hall of Fame and the Television Academy Hall of Fame. In 1987 the state of Utah nominated Philo for its second Statuary Hall entry. A 7 foot tall statue was presented to Congress on May 2nd 1990 and found it’s permanent home in Statuary Hall. Only two entries are allowed from each state. A copy of the statue has been installed at the Utah State Capitol.
Personal History
Philo T. Farnsworth (born Philo Taylor Farnsworth: August 19, 1906- March 11, 1971) was born in a small log cabin located in the small rural town of Beaver Utah. He spent the majority of his childhood working on the family dairy farm alongside his parents and siblings. From a very young age he had a strong interest in science and inventing. From a very young age he was fascinated with technical objects particularly the telephone and the phonograph. He had even tinkered with the farm’s generator, his mothers sewing machine and the washing machine.
His family moved to Rigby, Idaho when he was 14 years old. He found solace in the family attic where he would read for hours. Deep within his love of science and science-fiction books, he became so diligently passionate about what he would discover. Notebooks, fields, front lawns and laboratories all lent their services as his testing ground for something new and exciting. While still in high school , he converted the appliances in the family home to electric power. His first real job was on the railroad as an electrician. His love of science continued as he furthered his studies later at Brigham Young University.
Career
Even though he was forced to drop out of college after his second year due to his fathers death, his perseverance and love for inventing never stopped. He worked hard to make money and move his wife, Elma “Pem” Gardner Farnsworth to San Francisco, in 1926, where he continued his work. Through the financial help of several sponsors over the course of a year, Philo finally had managed to produce an image on September 7, 1927.
Invention
Shortly after arriving in San Francisco, he unveiled his all -electronic television prototype. This eventually led to his title of “the father of the modern television”. While he led the way with his “image dissector” his life was full of lawsuits following the unveiling. Radio Corporation of America had attempted a patent fight claiming it had developed the first TV tube but the Patent Office upheld Philo’s claims.
Eventually, the legal battles were much more that the young man with a family to care for could deal with so he moved his family across the country in 1933 to continue other avenues of research.
Contributions to science after this point were significant although not all related to the television. At one point he had attempted to determine a process he could use to sterilize milk through utilizing radio waves. He also was researching technologies for radar, infrared telescopes and he was fascinated by nuclear fusion. Eventually, he founded his own Television and Radio Corporation in Indiana. RCA was able to finally market and sell their first working electronic televisions for home use and ended up paying Philo a fee of a million dollars.
Later Life
By 1967 he returned to Utah to teach at Brigham Young University. He opened his own lab which eventually faltered when funding grew tight. By 1970 he was in severe debt and forced to stop his research. As he had throughout his life, he became so encompassed in his work that he would forget to take care of himself, even forgetting to eat and sleep. He had worked on other well known technologies such as radar and night vision, finishing his life while tacking the still unsolved riddle of cold fusion. Having battled depression for decades he developed a love of alcohol. He died of pneumonia on March 11, 1971.
Following his death, his wife Elma continued to fight for his recognition. She published a biography in 1990. Perhaps most unusual is the recollection that Philo never had considered himself and inventor. “Phil was asked what the most important invention was he ever made. He said, ‘I never made an invention. I happened to be the conduit through which these things were given to the people.’ (Fidel, 1999)”
Awards
Philo was inducted in to the San Francisco Hall of Fame and the Television Academy Hall of Fame. In 1987 the state of Utah nominated Philo for its second Statuary Hall entry. A 7 foot tall statue was presented to Congress on May 2nd 1990 and found it’s permanent home in Statuary Hall. Only two entries are allowed from each state. A copy of the statue has been installed at the Utah State Capitol.
References
Farsworth, Aubrey. July 13,2016. Utah inventions: Farnsworth family looks back at Utah’s most famous inventor. www.ksl.com
Fidel, Steve. May 5, 1999. Farnsworth’s widow his biggest fan. www.deseretnews.com
Gregersen, E. (2015, April 10). Philo Farnsworth. Retrieved February 05, 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philo-Farnsworth
Philo T. Farnsworth. (2016, May 17). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.biography.com/people/philo-t-farnsworth-40273