Some famous remarks
The New York Times described Philo T. Farnsworth as “a reserved, slender, quiet and unassuming man, tirelessly absorbed in his work.” TIME Magazine named him as one of the 100 greatest scientists and thinkers of the 20th century.
His comment on television was, “There’s nothing on it worthwhile, and we’re not going to watch it in this household, and I don’t want it in your intellectual diet.” Vladimir Kosma Zworykin also invented the kinescope, an infrared image tube, and went ahead in developing better camera tubes. He also helped develop an electron microscope.
When asked about his views on television, he remarked, “I hate what they’ve done to my child... I would never let my own children watch it.”
And his favourite thing on television—“The switch. The switch to turn the damn thing off.” He had to spend most of his adult life Ln D OHJDO fiJKW ZLWK RnH RI $PHULFD’V largest and most powerful corporations. His old school teacher gustin Tolman walked into the court rooms to testify that Philo conceived the idea as a 14-year-old boy. Tolman even produced the original sketch of an electronic tube that Farnsworth had drawn for him in school. The sketch was almost an exact replica of the image dissector Farnsworth had invented.
,n $SULO RI 1934, WKH SDWHnW RIfiFH ruled, ‘ Priority of invention is awarded to Philo T. Farnsworth.’ RCA appealed and lost. Sarnoff had to eat his words, “The RCA doesn’t pay patent royaltiesX we collect them.” RCA had to shell out URyDOWy IRU SDWHnW OLFHnFH IRU WKH fiUVW time to an independent inventor.
Thousands lined up to see the new HOHFWURnLF PDUYHO DW WKH fiUVW SXEOLF demonstration of Philo’s TV at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute in 1V35. He positioned a camera near the door so that the visitors could see themselves on the nearby ‘receiver’—the bottom of a ten gallon jug. Franklin D. Roosevelt ZDV WKH fiUVW $PHULFDn SUHVLGHnW Rn television in April of 1V3V.
On September T, 1V48, a patent was granted to Louis W. Parker for his ‘intercarrier sound system,’ which is now used in all television receivers.
After the expiry of Philo’s over a hundred patents, RCA started capitalising on them without paying a cent. He had to sell his assets to International Telephones and Telegraph in 1V4V. He became disillusioned, suffered a nervous breakdown and was bedridden.
When he appeared in 1V5T on a popular TV quiz show, ‘I’ve Got a Secret,’ nobody recognised him. He was LGHnWLfiHG RnOy DV ‘DU ;.’ 7KH DXGLHnFH was asked to identify him with some clues. One of the celebrity panelists Bill Cullen asked if he had invented some kind of machine that might be painful when used. The mysterious doctor replied, “Yes, sometimes, it’s most painful.” Revealing his identity as the IDWKHU RI HOHFWURnLF WHOHYLVLRn, WKH finDO word on Philo came from the program anchor: “We’d all be out of work if it weren’t for you.”
When man landed on the moon, the entire planet was watching “one small step for mankind” on their television setsX Philo turned to his wife and said, “This has made it all worthwhile.”