1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff You Missed in History Class from how 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:14,680 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and we've had some scientist episodes 4 00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: lately and we're going to have another. YEP. If any 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: of our listeners watch Futurama, you will recognize the name Farnsworth. 6 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: But unless you listen to the creator's commentary tracks on 7 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: the show DVD releases, or you are a fan of 8 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: television history, you might not know that the crotchety mad 9 00:00:35,440 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 1: scientist on the show is actually named for a real 10 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: scientists of the twentieth century who was a Utah farm 11 00:00:41,960 --> 00:00:44,240 Speaker 1: boy that actually kind of changed the way humans see 12 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,480 Speaker 1: the world. You know, who might recognize the name and 13 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:51,239 Speaker 1: the connection. Who people who watch Warehouse their teen Oh yeah, 14 00:00:51,240 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: which I don't watch. I have that point of they 15 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:58,080 Speaker 1: have these Farnsworth devices that are totally based on this technology, 16 00:00:58,120 --> 00:01:00,280 Speaker 1: and there is even it's a little well at this 17 00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: point's got some age on. It hasn't been updated in 18 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,319 Speaker 1: a while. Free iOS app that makes sure iPhone into 19 00:01:07,360 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: a Farnsworth device. Interesting, and the scientists were talking about 20 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:16,160 Speaker 1: today is Filo T. Farnsworth, And he was interested in 21 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: science almost from birth. He was inventing things as early 22 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:23,480 Speaker 1: as grade school. But his real claim to fame in 23 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: terms of technology is uh in television. He also has 24 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:32,520 Speaker 1: become something of an icon representing the little guy because 25 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:36,600 Speaker 1: he went up against a big business in a patent 26 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:41,400 Speaker 1: lawsuit and kind of a David versus Goliath situation. Yeah, 27 00:01:41,520 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 1: which ends both happily and sadly. Yeah, it does. It 28 00:01:44,600 --> 00:01:47,800 Speaker 1: doesn't have quite as satisfying and ending as the David 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:52,559 Speaker 1: and Goliath story. Yeah, we'll talk about that a little later. 30 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,040 Speaker 1: He will. He's a fascinating, fascinating and so insightful at 31 00:01:57,040 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: such an early age that it kind of blows my mind. Uh. 32 00:02:00,440 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: And I also feel compelled to mention right out of 33 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: the gate that a lot of the history with him 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: is all based on verbal accounts that various people have given, 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,799 Speaker 1: so there's some variation, like sometimes even his age will change, 36 00:02:16,120 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: you know, in two different versions of the story, even 37 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: though they're close and will account for most of those. 38 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: But it would really becombersome to be like, well, this 39 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,119 Speaker 1: person said he was, you know, it was this year. 40 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,920 Speaker 1: This person said it was this year. If they're close, 41 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:31,400 Speaker 1: I don't always like break out and go, No, this 42 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:35,480 Speaker 1: was two different accounts that they were assume there might 43 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 1: be some age range changes by you know, we're dealing 44 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 1: with an oral account, yes, since all oral history coming 45 00:02:42,360 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 1: from multiple people for much of the earlier part. So 46 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,920 Speaker 1: he was born, we know, in Utah in August of 47 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 1: nineteen o six. He was born in August nineteen His 48 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:57,040 Speaker 1: name was Philo Taylor Farnsworth and uh. He was born 49 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 1: in a log cabin that was actually built by his grandfather, 50 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:04,280 Speaker 1: who was Mormon pioneer. So he was part of a 51 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:08,119 Speaker 1: Utah family that had really come over with the Mormon 52 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: tradition as they came to kind of settle the area. 53 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: When he was twelve, the family moved to Franklin, Idaho, 54 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: and his first sort of scientific triumph happened when he 55 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: was thirteen. He entered a National Science contest which was 56 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 1: sponsored by Science and Invention magazine, and he won it. 57 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 1: And his idea was a tamper proof lock for a 58 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: Model T ignition switch. Apparently at the time there really 59 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: wasn't like a way to lock a Model T all 60 00:03:35,200 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: the keys were basically the same for the ignition from 61 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: car to car to car. So he had figured out 62 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:43,360 Speaker 1: a way to make one key for one car. Somehow 63 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:47,120 Speaker 1: the idea of of a model te theft ring brought 64 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: on by non secure ignitions, which is it's really funny 65 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:56,080 Speaker 1: to me. During high school, he converted all of his 66 00:03:56,200 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: family's home appliances to electric power, which is pretty impressive 67 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: considering that they had not had electricity in their home 68 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: until he was fourteen. Yeah, and he allegedly learned all 69 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 1: of this. Uh. The sort of apocryphal story is that 70 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:18,040 Speaker 1: he found electrical manuals and like technical diagrams in the 71 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: house that they had moved into at some point that 72 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:22,799 Speaker 1: the previous owner had left behind, and he just studied 73 00:04:22,800 --> 00:04:27,719 Speaker 1: those and learned how electricals worked. As a kid, you know, 74 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 1: I can see an adult doing that, like having kind 75 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:32,800 Speaker 1: of the focus of mine to like break it down. 76 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,120 Speaker 1: That's what happens on Orange is the New Black? Is 77 00:04:36,120 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 1: this what happens? Uh? And then when he was uh 78 00:04:41,279 --> 00:04:44,400 Speaker 1: sixteen or thirteen or fourteen or fifteen, depending on who 79 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: you talked to. Uh, some accounts say it was nineteen 80 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: twenty one. There's actually a television appearance that Farnsworth made 81 00:04:51,279 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: where he says it's ninety two, but we know it's 82 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: right around fifteen or sixteen. Uh, he sketched out a 83 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:00,080 Speaker 1: concept for a vacuum tube and he showed it to 84 00:05:00,279 --> 00:05:04,920 Speaker 1: his high school chemistry. Chemistry teacher, Justin Tollman and farms 85 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,200 Speaker 1: Worth had detailed this idea that by controlling the speed 86 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: and direction of electrons, he could turn electricity into pictures 87 00:05:12,560 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: using the vacuum tube. The idea was that the tube 88 00:05:15,279 --> 00:05:18,560 Speaker 1: would shoot electrons toward a screen and project an image. 89 00:05:18,800 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 1: And this was all theoretical. He hadn't, of course, been 90 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: able to test any of this. He was just thinking 91 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: through how he thought it would work. He had kind 92 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,480 Speaker 1: of made it up in his head and drawn it. Yeah, 93 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,159 Speaker 1: And according to legend, he got the idea from the 94 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: parallel plowing rows on the family farm, thinking that an 95 00:05:33,720 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: electron beam could do a similar line by line scan 96 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: of an image. And there are different accounts of whether 97 00:05:39,480 --> 00:05:43,640 Speaker 1: that was a field of potatoes or beats, but you know, 98 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:46,800 Speaker 1: it was a field with straight lines was being plowed 99 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 1: on the farm. So, as the story goes, his teacher 100 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:52,080 Speaker 1: did not quite go he was talking about, and his 101 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,919 Speaker 1: fellow students didn't either. I'm imagining the teacher kind of 102 00:05:55,920 --> 00:05:59,400 Speaker 1: patting him on the head and going that's nice there. Well, 103 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,920 Speaker 1: like every say, except he was fifteen. Well, and Tolman 104 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,280 Speaker 1: hung onto that sketch. Yeah, there was something about it 105 00:06:06,320 --> 00:06:08,680 Speaker 1: that he thought like, this is interesting enough that I'm 106 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:10,800 Speaker 1: gonna keep it. Maybe this is a real thing in 107 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:16,400 Speaker 1: not space medic Yeah. So after high school, Farnsworth attended 108 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: Brigham Young University starting in nineteen but unfortunately, his education 109 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:25,279 Speaker 1: hit an early roadblock when his father died in nineteen 110 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:27,400 Speaker 1: twenty four. He had to drop out of school so 111 00:06:27,440 --> 00:06:30,080 Speaker 1: that he could help work and support the family, and 112 00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,120 Speaker 1: this really put an end to his formal education, but 113 00:06:33,240 --> 00:06:36,120 Speaker 1: his scientific work didn't stop there. He kept learning on 114 00:06:36,160 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 1: his own, tankering and experimenting. One of the many self 115 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,440 Speaker 1: taught people that we've talked about in the podcast. Yeah, 116 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:44,800 Speaker 1: we do a lot of our big names in the 117 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 1: science history and invention are really self taught, which I 118 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:53,720 Speaker 1: think is an interesting through line. And in nine six 119 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:58,479 Speaker 1: Filo married Elma pim Gardner, and they would eventually have 120 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: four children together. We won't go into depths on their kids, 121 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:04,719 Speaker 1: but I wanted to make a note that same year 122 00:07:04,920 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: he was able to get enough cash together to move 123 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: into full time research. He had been working for two 124 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 1: professional fundraisers. They were George Everson and Leslie Garrel in 125 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:19,920 Speaker 1: southern California in their bulk mailing business. After Farnsworth told 126 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:24,240 Speaker 1: his bosses about his concept for an electronic television, the 127 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:29,280 Speaker 1: pair formed this venture partnership with him as Everson, Farnsworth 128 00:07:29,360 --> 00:07:33,800 Speaker 1: and Garrel. Additional investment came from the Cracker Bank under 129 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: President William W. Crocker, and a new group, Crocker Research Laboratories, 130 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: was formed. Crocker and yet another investor, Roy and Bishop, 131 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:47,040 Speaker 1: were based in San Francisco, and consequently they wanted Farnsworth 132 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:50,080 Speaker 1: to move closer to where they were, So with all 133 00:07:50,120 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: of this funding and place, Farnsworth set up a lab 134 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:54,960 Speaker 1: at two O two Green Street, which is at the 135 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: bottom of Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, with his wife 136 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: Pim and her brother Cliff Gardener as his assistants. In 137 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: ninety seven, in January, Firensworth filed for his first patents 138 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:12,720 Speaker 1: for his television system, and later that year, on September seven, 139 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: he unveiled his electronic television prototype, and it was the 140 00:08:16,600 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: first of its kind. It featured a video camera tube, 141 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,880 Speaker 1: which he also called an image dissector. It was essentially 142 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: the same thing he had sketched as a teenager and 143 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: shown to his slightly befelled chemistry teacher. Yeah, that's going 144 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:35,840 Speaker 1: to be important later as well. Uh. The first image 145 00:08:35,840 --> 00:08:39,200 Speaker 1: that he transmitted was really just a blurry line. But 146 00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: working with his research team, because he hired more people 147 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:45,520 Speaker 1: on and they were dubbed the Lab Gang, he was 148 00:08:45,559 --> 00:08:48,480 Speaker 1: able to pretty quickly advance the technology and he was 149 00:08:48,520 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: sending progressively more complex shapes, and within a few years 150 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: he actually sent signals to a location that was eight 151 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,760 Speaker 1: blocks away at the Merchant's Exchange building. During all of 152 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: this time of really apid development, they actually had an 153 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:06,880 Speaker 1: enormous setback. In late nine the lab and its assortment 154 00:09:06,920 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 1: of chemicals and electrical components caught fire and they had 155 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 1: to completely rebuild it from scratch. So basically they've been 156 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: rolling along and they had to start completely over and 157 00:09:17,679 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 1: completely rebuild. So think about how much faster it would 158 00:09:20,679 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: have gone if they hadn't had this big chunk of 159 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:28,320 Speaker 1: time where they had starting completely over. On September three, 160 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:30,960 Speaker 1: which is just a little before that fire happened, the 161 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: San Francisco Chronicle ran a story about Farnsworth Television, and 162 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:38,680 Speaker 1: the article described how Farnsworth all electronic approach was a 163 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:43,160 Speaker 1: total game changer. So to quote, all television systems now 164 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: in use employ a revolving disc two feet in diameter 165 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:49,840 Speaker 1: to break up or scan the image. A similar disc 166 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:52,400 Speaker 1: is at the receiving end, and the two discs must 167 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:55,440 Speaker 1: revolve at precisely the same instant and it precisely the 168 00:09:55,520 --> 00:10:00,079 Speaker 1: same speed or blurred vision results. Farnsworth system employs no 169 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 1: moving parts whatsoever. Instead of moving the machine, he buries 170 00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 1: the electric current that plays over the image and thus 171 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: gets the necessary scanning. The system is thus simple in 172 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:13,640 Speaker 1: the extreme, and one of the major mechanical obstacles to 173 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:17,600 Speaker 1: the perfection of television is thereby removed. This article is 174 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,040 Speaker 1: actually pretty detailed. It mentions the frame rate, which is 175 00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:25,480 Speaker 1: twenty pictures per second, and the resolution, which is eight 176 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:29,440 Speaker 1: thousand elements or pinpoints of light for each picture. The 177 00:10:29,559 --> 00:10:33,200 Speaker 1: screen he was using to demonstrate in a mirror one 178 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:37,120 Speaker 1: point to five inches square. It is tiny. As we 179 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,600 Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, the warehouse their team viewers have a sense 180 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:43,720 Speaker 1: of what that looks like. In the words of the chronicle, 181 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: it is a queer looking little image in bluish light, now, 182 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:51,080 Speaker 1: one that frequently smudges and blurs, but the basic principle 183 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,239 Speaker 1: is achieved and perfection is now a matter of engineering. 184 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: And at the time, Farms was actually told the paper 185 00:10:58,480 --> 00:11:01,720 Speaker 1: that he envisioned that his tell vision receiver could actually 186 00:11:01,760 --> 00:11:04,679 Speaker 1: be attached to a radio set, and he thought it 187 00:11:04,720 --> 00:11:08,280 Speaker 1: was gonna be sold at retail for about a hundred dollars, 188 00:11:08,880 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: which is a lot of money at the time. But uh, 189 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:16,040 Speaker 1: it's just interesting that he had this whole plan of 190 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,680 Speaker 1: how it was going to become a business. So while 191 00:11:19,760 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: he was just a privately funded inventor and researcher, Radio 192 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,760 Speaker 1: Corporation of America also known as r c A, was 193 00:11:27,880 --> 00:11:31,880 Speaker 1: a giant. You couldn't legally build a radio in the 194 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,880 Speaker 1: United States without an r c A license. David Sarnoff, 195 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:37,760 Speaker 1: who was the acting president of our c A at 196 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,079 Speaker 1: the time, had established this business model of finding scientists 197 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:44,800 Speaker 1: and engineers, hiring them and buying out their patent rights 198 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 1: to grow our CIA's legal holdings. And Sarnoff was really 199 00:11:48,960 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: quick to protect his company's stake in the home entertainment 200 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: market when he got wind of Farnsworth's new television on 201 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:59,839 Speaker 1: November eighteenth, UH an essay that was actually written by 202 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:02,560 Speaker 1: or Off appeared in the New York Times and it 203 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:05,959 Speaker 1: was entitled Forging an Electric Eye to scan the World, 204 00:12:06,520 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: and it assured readers that Farnsworth Television was nowhere near 205 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 1: ready for the home market, and that TVs would first 206 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: be available to consumers from our c A and that 207 00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:17,760 Speaker 1: they were going to beat Farnsworth to the market. This 208 00:12:17,920 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: reminds me of the competing advertisements in our episode about 209 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 1: the history of the setting machine. A lot of this 210 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:24,599 Speaker 1: reminds me of it once we get into the r 211 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 1: c A portion of it. This is not really a 212 00:12:27,960 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 1: real thing, ours a real thing. A month later, another 213 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:37,520 Speaker 1: New York Times piece was published entitled leaders to spell 214 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 1: Television Fears, and this one was not written by Sarnoff, 215 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: but he was the main source for the article. This 216 00:12:43,440 --> 00:12:49,000 Speaker 1: one encouraged readers to keep buying radios, particularly for the holidays, 217 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: instead of waiting for television. Sarnoff even hired another inventor, 218 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,880 Speaker 1: Vladimir's work In from the research team at Westinghouse to 219 00:12:56,960 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: do a little bit of digging for him. He was 220 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: paper hired to head up UH some labs, but it 221 00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:06,960 Speaker 1: was clear that Sarnoff also wanted him to kind of 222 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: try to figure out what the heck Farnsworth was actually 223 00:13:10,880 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: up to and working. Actually visited farnsworth San Francisco Lab 224 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:19,040 Speaker 1: in and when he returned from his mission, he attempted 225 00:13:19,080 --> 00:13:21,720 Speaker 1: to reverse engineer the technology he had seen while he 226 00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: was visiting Farnsworth. And there are some versions of this 227 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:29,319 Speaker 1: story that say that was working actually telegraphed design and 228 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:33,080 Speaker 1: Schamata information ahead to our Cia so that the lab 229 00:13:33,080 --> 00:13:34,760 Speaker 1: could get to work on it, and by the time 230 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: he got back from visiting Farnsworth in San Francisco, the 231 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,679 Speaker 1: first model was there, but those seemed to be a 232 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: little bit Paul Taylish, that's a that would be a 233 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 1: very quick build of things for people that did not 234 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 1: have the first hand account of it for three D printers. 235 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:55,920 Speaker 1: So before you ask why in the world would Farnsworth 236 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 1: let a competitor just come visit his lab, pretty sure 237 00:13:59,800 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: that he did not know that that's what's working was Yeah, 238 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,920 Speaker 1: there are accounts at the time to indicate that he 239 00:14:07,920 --> 00:14:11,000 Speaker 1: thought it's working. Was still under the Westinghouse Umbrella, and 240 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:14,600 Speaker 1: Westinghouse had shown some interest in Farnsworth's work, and so 241 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,600 Speaker 1: the financial backers of the Green Street Lab had been 242 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:22,080 Speaker 1: encouraging Farnsworth to sell his idea to Westinghouse or at 243 00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: least licensed the rights to them. So I remember this 244 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,359 Speaker 1: was all going on right after the stock market crash, 245 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: and while Farnsworth was an idealist then wanted to tinker 246 00:14:31,480 --> 00:14:34,160 Speaker 1: and not think a whole lot about money. The people 247 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: who were paying for his work, we're pretty financially nervous 248 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,680 Speaker 1: at this point. Yeah, and some accounts will say that 249 00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:43,160 Speaker 1: it was clear that working was still working for our 250 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:48,520 Speaker 1: ci A and not Westinghouse. Um, But really the crux 251 00:14:48,560 --> 00:14:51,160 Speaker 1: of the matter was that Farnsworth thought this was like 252 00:14:51,200 --> 00:14:53,280 Speaker 1: a Oh, I'm gonna come and visit and hang out 253 00:14:53,320 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: and see what licensing options we might be able to 254 00:14:55,320 --> 00:14:57,520 Speaker 1: work out. Not and I'm coming to steal all of 255 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:01,640 Speaker 1: your ideas and technology trip right, So but when's Workin's 256 00:15:01,640 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: attempts to recreate farnsworth device didn't work out. They completely 257 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:09,120 Speaker 1: fell flat. He wasn't able to deliver Sarnoff actually decided 258 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:11,520 Speaker 1: that he was going to go visit Green Street himself, 259 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,240 Speaker 1: and he did so in spring of ninety one. And 260 00:15:14,280 --> 00:15:16,560 Speaker 1: there's some hint that he kind of thought he was 261 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: the big businessman that was going to go in strong 262 00:15:18,600 --> 00:15:23,240 Speaker 1: arm this foolish farm boy UH. But Farnsworth actually wasn't 263 00:15:23,360 --> 00:15:26,760 Speaker 1: there at the lab when Sarnov dropped in unannounced, but 264 00:15:26,920 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 1: he was allowed to enter. UM staff let him in 265 00:15:30,160 --> 00:15:33,800 Speaker 1: and he eventually, after looking around and returning back to 266 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: r C headquarters, he made an offer to hire Farnsworth 267 00:15:37,680 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: into the r C family and to buy Farnsworth's company 268 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:43,680 Speaker 1: and his patents. But he made was a pretty low 269 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: ball offer, and Farnsworth said no, and this did not 270 00:15:47,720 --> 00:15:50,920 Speaker 1: go over well at all. Yeah, and it really was 271 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: low ball. Even the investors that have been kind of 272 00:15:53,600 --> 00:15:56,960 Speaker 1: urging Farnsworth to look into selling because of the volatility 273 00:15:57,120 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: of the stock market and the economy at the time, 274 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:01,680 Speaker 1: even they are like, that doesn't sound like a fair 275 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: offered us UM. So, as with most game changing inventions 276 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: that also UH involved corporate intrigue and bruised egos, a 277 00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 1: legal battle ensued, backed by r C a's huge legal power. 278 00:16:17,120 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: Vladimir's working claimed that Farnsworth's work violated patents he already 279 00:16:22,280 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: had on a similar invention, and in Zorkian had applied 280 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:31,240 Speaker 1: for a patent for an invention called an iconoscope, which 281 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:35,560 Speaker 1: was an electronic image scanner. So there were similarities and 282 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 1: this was the basis for a decade long war that 283 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:42,760 Speaker 1: our ci A morged again waged against Farnsworth. Although it's 284 00:16:42,840 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: of note that's working never was able to build a 285 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:51,440 Speaker 1: functioning model of his patent at all. He it was 286 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,920 Speaker 1: all theoretical. He never was able to make a real 287 00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:59,560 Speaker 1: world version of it. You're right, this is really really similar. 288 00:17:00,440 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: It's worth noting that other inventors were also on the 289 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:07,040 Speaker 1: trail of televised imagery. Charles Jenkins came up with a 290 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:11,600 Speaker 1: scanning drum to display moving silhouettes in UR and John 291 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:15,439 Speaker 1: Barrett of Scotland had made mechanical image transmissions using a 292 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:21,679 Speaker 1: transparent rot array in dr. Herbert Ives came up with 293 00:17:21,720 --> 00:17:26,080 Speaker 1: a wire harness system for Bell Labs that sent electrical 294 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:32,040 Speaker 1: impulses to electrodes on its viewing screen. Individually, there were 295 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:35,480 Speaker 1: televisions being developed in France, Great Britain and Russia by 296 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,000 Speaker 1: a number of different researchers. Yeah, so again, it really 297 00:17:39,040 --> 00:17:41,400 Speaker 1: is similar to the sewing machine thing, or everybody knew 298 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:43,880 Speaker 1: this was kind of the next step, and they were 299 00:17:43,880 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: all kind of working towards creating it, but some different approaches. 300 00:17:49,280 --> 00:17:51,639 Speaker 1: But even with all of this work, and as was 301 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 1: mentioned in the newspaper article about him, like they talked 302 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: about existing televisions too, So all of this work was 303 00:17:58,359 --> 00:18:02,000 Speaker 1: going on. Uh uh. And z Workin's patent had happened 304 00:18:02,000 --> 00:18:04,359 Speaker 1: before farnsworth TV, but he was the first one to 305 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:08,919 Speaker 1: actually produce an electronic TV based on his research and designs. 306 00:18:10,880 --> 00:18:14,119 Speaker 1: So now is when we bring back that high school 307 00:18:14,160 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: chemistry teacher. Yeah, so the one that kept filers drawing. 308 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: Those turned out to be really important when it came 309 00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:22,960 Speaker 1: to all the legal proceedings because he was able to 310 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:27,560 Speaker 1: testify that Farnsworth had diagrammed and described this television idea 311 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,880 Speaker 1: way back in the drawing itself, which he had hung onto. 312 00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:37,000 Speaker 1: Was also a huge moon to Farnsworth's case, and while 313 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: the case was dragging on, Farnsworth was still working in 314 00:18:41,040 --> 00:18:45,159 Speaker 1: one he started the Philco Radio Corporation's television department. In 315 00:18:45,160 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: an exchange for additional lab funding for his own research, 316 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 1: Farnsworth had to move his family and his team to Philadelphia. 317 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,960 Speaker 1: That move was not really popular with his wife, Pim. 318 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 1: She really loved San Francisco and she often spoke uh 319 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: when you know, asked about their lives or giving interviews 320 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:05,119 Speaker 1: about how you know, the West was really where their 321 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,399 Speaker 1: heart was. But in nineteen thirty three, so just a 322 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:11,520 Speaker 1: couple of years later, Farnsworth left Philco and continued his 323 00:19:11,560 --> 00:19:15,320 Speaker 1: work solo because Philko had decided that the television division 324 00:19:15,359 --> 00:19:18,639 Speaker 1: did not really fit in their corporate vision any longer. 325 00:19:19,280 --> 00:19:22,400 Speaker 1: So after moving his entire family kind of against their will, 326 00:19:23,320 --> 00:19:24,959 Speaker 1: it turned out that wasn't going to work out so well. 327 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:30,520 Speaker 1: So irritating the U S. Patent Office found in Farnsworth's favor, 328 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:34,560 Speaker 1: Our c A appealed, but that same verdict came down 329 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:39,719 Speaker 1: again and again. As you can imagine, there's some uh 330 00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:42,919 Speaker 1: bruised he goes at play even after you know this 331 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: element of the legal proceedings was done. Uh. In eight 332 00:19:47,119 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: Farnsworth founded the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation. He was 333 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:54,560 Speaker 1: really ready to launch into the brave new world of 334 00:19:54,640 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: consumer television and broadcast reception. But as an independent inventor, 335 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:03,320 Speaker 1: which was just a creature that was basically extinct in 336 00:20:03,400 --> 00:20:06,600 Speaker 1: this environment of explosive growth of corporate labs in the 337 00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: thirties and forties, Barnsworth couldn't really stand up to the 338 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: pr machine that our c A was able to crank 339 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: out at the world's fair r c A sponsored a 340 00:20:17,600 --> 00:20:22,080 Speaker 1: television pavilion, and Starnoff brokered a deal for the radio 341 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:25,480 Speaker 1: and television rights to air the opening ceremony. But I 342 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,679 Speaker 1: feel like we should mention prior to being named acting 343 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,600 Speaker 1: president of our CIA, Starnoff had actually founded NBC Radio Network, 344 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:35,800 Speaker 1: which was owned by our CIA, So it kind of 345 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,000 Speaker 1: sets the stage of like broadcast rights and bitter battles 346 00:20:39,960 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: really being at the heart of network television. Basically from 347 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: day one, think it was already about who had the 348 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,199 Speaker 1: rights to do what, and kind of some you know, 349 00:20:49,280 --> 00:20:53,480 Speaker 1: backbiting and really aggressive business practices. So our CIA had 350 00:20:53,480 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: been working on television technology throughout these whole legal proceedings, 351 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 1: and it was selling televisions and department stores leading up 352 00:21:00,320 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: to this event, and it announced just prior to the 353 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:07,600 Speaker 1: fair opening that NBC was starting a regular broadcast schedule. 354 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,919 Speaker 1: And at this point Farnsworth realized he was outgunned. I 355 00:21:11,960 --> 00:21:15,680 Speaker 1: think I read a m A statistic that right out 356 00:21:15,680 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: of the gate r c A had an easy eight 357 00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:20,840 Speaker 1: or greater market share, and there was just no way 358 00:21:20,840 --> 00:21:22,720 Speaker 1: that Farnsworth was going to be able to keep up. 359 00:21:23,560 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: So he actually sold our CI A a non exclusive license. 360 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:30,720 Speaker 1: At that point for one million dollars. After the r 361 00:21:30,800 --> 00:21:34,120 Speaker 1: c A deal, Farnsworth was really exhausted and he had 362 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:38,240 Speaker 1: a nervous breakdown that resulted in him being hospitalized. He 363 00:21:38,320 --> 00:21:41,639 Speaker 1: really struggled with depression and would continue to struggle with 364 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: it for the rest of his life. And meanwhile, World 365 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: War two put television in a time out because all 366 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,280 Speaker 1: manufacture of non military electronics was banned by the U. 367 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:56,520 Speaker 1: S Government for the duration of the war. When the 368 00:21:56,560 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: war ended and the Farnsworth Corporation was making its home 369 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and it started to produce television sets. 370 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:06,800 Speaker 1: But our CIA had the resources to launch a much 371 00:22:06,840 --> 00:22:11,800 Speaker 1: more successful manufacturing operation, Farnsworth just couldn't keep his company afloat. 372 00:22:12,560 --> 00:22:16,520 Speaker 1: It was eventually purchased by International Telephone and Telegraph Company, 373 00:22:16,560 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: and under I T and T, Farnsworth continued his research 374 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:24,000 Speaker 1: into television as well as nuclear fusion. The television division 375 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:28,840 Speaker 1: was shut down before very long though, yeah so had uh. 376 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:32,160 Speaker 1: At that point, Farnsworth's work in television had basically been 377 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,000 Speaker 1: shut out a little bit by big business. You know, 378 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,000 Speaker 1: he had battled our Cia, and while he tried to 379 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,520 Speaker 1: still kind of struggle with a little small part of 380 00:22:40,520 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: the market, it wasn't gonna work out, and so when 381 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:44,719 Speaker 1: he sold his company, thinking he was going to bolster 382 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:49,120 Speaker 1: his his television work, they were like, no, we don't 383 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 1: really want to be in the TV business after all. So, uh, 384 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: he was, you know, shut out of television at that point. 385 00:22:56,040 --> 00:22:58,760 Speaker 1: But he kept on inventing, and he certainly kept on 386 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:02,959 Speaker 1: studying science. In nineteen fifty one, he was awarded an 387 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: honorary doctorate of Science by the Indiana Institute of Technology. Yeah, 388 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: which was his first degree since he did not ever 389 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:14,080 Speaker 1: finish college. Uh. In nineteen fifty seven, he started the 390 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:18,400 Speaker 1: Farnsworth Research Corporation as its president and director of Research. 391 00:23:19,160 --> 00:23:22,159 Speaker 1: In nineteen sixty seven, he moved back to Utah and 392 00:23:22,240 --> 00:23:25,920 Speaker 1: became head of a fusion lab at Brigham Young University, 393 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:28,680 Speaker 1: and just a year later that lab actually changed names 394 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: to Filo Key Farnsworth and Associates and it moved to 395 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:36,440 Speaker 1: Salt Lake City, but within two years funds had dried 396 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:39,480 Speaker 1: up for the lab. In nineteen sixty eight, he was 397 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,720 Speaker 1: awarded his second honorary doctorate, this time from Brigham Young University, 398 00:23:43,840 --> 00:23:46,679 Speaker 1: and he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of 399 00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:52,160 Speaker 1: Fame nineteen seventy really marked the beginning of the end 400 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 1: for Farnsworth. Uh. As we mentioned, the lab was running 401 00:23:56,200 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: out of money and he was forced to close it 402 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:00,560 Speaker 1: due to the lack of funds. And at that point 403 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:04,399 Speaker 1: the depression that he had really been battling for decades, 404 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,159 Speaker 1: you know, it had really started in the UH in 405 00:24:08,200 --> 00:24:12,280 Speaker 1: the thirties, going through all of that, battling with our 406 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:15,400 Speaker 1: c A and patent suits and then having to deal 407 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: with the war offsetting their efforts. The depression just kind 408 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:21,439 Speaker 1: of one out at that point, and he started drinking 409 00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: and drinking heavily, and it really became a habitual drinking 410 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,600 Speaker 1: problem in the last few months of his life. He 411 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: died of pneumonia on March eleventh, ninety one, in Salt 412 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: Lake City. When he died, the televisions that were being 413 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,440 Speaker 1: made for consumer markets used components that were included in 414 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:43,040 Speaker 1: about a hundred of his patents. Although he really didn't 415 00:24:43,080 --> 00:24:46,359 Speaker 1: have any wealth to speak of. On the other hand, 416 00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:51,120 Speaker 1: Sarnoff died the same year, but very wealthy, extremely wealthy. 417 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: So what would I have to say about that? He 418 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:58,399 Speaker 1: didn't get take it with him. That's true. Uh, yeah, 419 00:24:58,440 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: I mean it is kind of one of those things 420 00:24:59,760 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: where Farnsworth in so many ways was in the right, 421 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:04,560 Speaker 1: but it really did him no good. Even though he 422 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:07,280 Speaker 1: won the patent lawsuit, and even though he made that 423 00:25:07,320 --> 00:25:10,639 Speaker 1: big settlement with our c A, that money went towards 424 00:25:10,760 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: funding a lab that was really struggling and didn't didn't 425 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:18,239 Speaker 1: turn out so well in terms of um his his 426 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:22,280 Speaker 1: end of life quality. But after his passing, his wife 427 00:25:22,320 --> 00:25:26,320 Speaker 1: Pim really worked tirelessly to try to establish her husband's 428 00:25:26,440 --> 00:25:28,679 Speaker 1: image in a positive way and ensure that he was 429 00:25:28,720 --> 00:25:32,200 Speaker 1: recognized as the visionary that he really was. And Farnsworth 430 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: really gave him a great deal of credit throughout his 431 00:25:36,040 --> 00:25:38,000 Speaker 1: life for his most famous work, and he would often 432 00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,000 Speaker 1: say that my wife and I started television and they 433 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:44,960 Speaker 1: had worked together. Pim had worked alongside her husband throughout 434 00:25:45,040 --> 00:25:48,520 Speaker 1: his life in his various labs, and as he often 435 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:51,200 Speaker 1: became really engaged with his work, he would forget to eat, 436 00:25:51,280 --> 00:25:54,080 Speaker 1: he would neglect to think about his health. He apparently 437 00:25:54,119 --> 00:25:56,840 Speaker 1: had this weird habit where he was in insomniac, so 438 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:59,320 Speaker 1: at night he would go to bed and kind of 439 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: give himself a problem to solve, knowing that he would 440 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:04,760 Speaker 1: wake up and hoping that he would be working through 441 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:06,679 Speaker 1: it in that sort of half sleep state, like he 442 00:26:06,800 --> 00:26:09,520 Speaker 1: really kind of was not doing things that were great 443 00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:12,800 Speaker 1: in terms of like his quality of health as he 444 00:26:12,880 --> 00:26:16,159 Speaker 1: went on. Uh. But Pam was always the constant that 445 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:18,280 Speaker 1: kind of kept their lives in order, despite his sort 446 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,400 Speaker 1: of odd behaviors and his tendency to get really over 447 00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:25,920 Speaker 1: absorbed into his work. In nine eight one, his two 448 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: oh two Green Street address in San Francisco, which was 449 00:26:29,320 --> 00:26:32,399 Speaker 1: home to the lab where the first televised image was projected, 450 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:36,440 Speaker 1: was given a historical marker. There's also a memorial statue 451 00:26:36,440 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: of Farnsworth at the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco. 452 00:26:40,400 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 1: In the state of Utah gave the National Statuary Hall 453 00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,320 Speaker 1: Collection in Washington, d C. A statue of Farnsworth by 454 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:54,440 Speaker 1: artist James r Avati, which had the inscription father of Television. Yeah, 455 00:26:54,800 --> 00:26:58,200 Speaker 1: I love uh Inn. He was inducted into the San 456 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:02,800 Speaker 1: Francisco Hall of Fame, and in he was inducted into 457 00:27:02,840 --> 00:27:05,680 Speaker 1: the Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame. 458 00:27:06,359 --> 00:27:08,840 Speaker 1: And in his life he had held at least a 459 00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:11,879 Speaker 1: hundred sixty patents, and he contributed to the development of 460 00:27:11,920 --> 00:27:16,560 Speaker 1: many other things which we are actually relevant to uh, 461 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:20,840 Speaker 1: you know, other recent podcasts we've been working on. He worked. 462 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:23,479 Speaker 1: Some of his work contributed to the development of radar 463 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 1: infra red electron microscopes, baby incubators. Uh So when you 464 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,240 Speaker 1: go to like the I See You or the newborn 465 00:27:32,280 --> 00:27:35,360 Speaker 1: I cu the nick you, those incubators are in part 466 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:38,600 Speaker 1: due to the work that Farnsworth did and even astronomical telescopes. 467 00:27:39,560 --> 00:27:41,880 Speaker 1: And Pim died in two thousand six, but their kids 468 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:45,679 Speaker 1: have continued this tradition of kind of keeping his image 469 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,800 Speaker 1: alive and well, uh, there was also uh. In two 470 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:52,439 Speaker 1: thou four, they announced a screenplay. New Line Cinema had 471 00:27:52,480 --> 00:27:55,520 Speaker 1: optioned the screenplay from Aaron Sorkin about the life of Farnsworth, 472 00:27:56,320 --> 00:27:59,160 Speaker 1: which never came to fruition, and in two thousand five 473 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:02,159 Speaker 1: Sorkin adapted it to the stage and it's been produced 474 00:28:02,160 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 1: a couple of times, and maybe we'll eventually go full 475 00:28:06,119 --> 00:28:10,560 Speaker 1: circle and become a film again. But if it ever does, 476 00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:12,640 Speaker 1: I feel like I should pre warn people that it's 477 00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:16,280 Speaker 1: it's not historically accurate, like that was not the intent 478 00:28:16,800 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: for change for dramatic effects there musical, I feel like 479 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:24,840 Speaker 1: there's a musical. I hope not. There might be I have. 480 00:28:25,800 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: We're in the opposite You're like, I hope not because singing, 481 00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 1: and I'm like, I hope so because the singing. Yeah, 482 00:28:30,960 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: I'm not the biggest fan of musicals. There's nothing wrong 483 00:28:33,880 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 1: with them. It's my personal I don't like to watch 484 00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,000 Speaker 1: people sing. I don't like to look in their mouths thing. 485 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: I know. That's my weird neurotic biz. I want fabulousness 486 00:28:41,840 --> 00:28:45,600 Speaker 1: about Filo Farnsworth with a big chorus line and lots 487 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,080 Speaker 1: of kicking. That doesn't seem right for him though. He 488 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: just wanted to quietly work in the lab. Why That's 489 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:55,360 Speaker 1: why people can all do the kicking and the big 490 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 1: boisterous show numbers, whereas he could have quiet little songs 491 00:28:59,440 --> 00:29:03,160 Speaker 1: in his lab. Up. But yeah, that's uh Farnsworth. It's 492 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,560 Speaker 1: interesting because in some circles when you say pilot Farnsworth, 493 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:09,000 Speaker 1: people go, oh, I love his story, and other people 494 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:12,360 Speaker 1: just get a glazy look like he's he's kind of 495 00:29:12,400 --> 00:29:16,000 Speaker 1: reached through history and hit certain people, and a lot 496 00:29:16,040 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 1: of people have become very interested in his story, But 497 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 1: for many others, they have no idea he even existed, 498 00:29:21,400 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: let alone lead to the box that uh inhabits our 499 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:30,480 Speaker 1: lives all the time, although modern day TV tech is 500 00:29:30,560 --> 00:29:33,960 Speaker 1: very different. But I'm hoping that all the Warehouse thirteen 501 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,760 Speaker 1: fans who've been writing us and asking us to talk 502 00:29:36,800 --> 00:29:42,280 Speaker 1: about Paracelsis can take some temporary solace in this episode. 503 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: About Farnsworth, I love him. I have a real soft 504 00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,360 Speaker 1: spot for him, partially because I love television and entertainment, 505 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:53,480 Speaker 1: and partially because you know, he's just that guy who 506 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:57,840 Speaker 1: wants to work on projects and didn't really have business 507 00:29:57,880 --> 00:30:00,600 Speaker 1: acumen and just was a great thing gear that kind 508 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:04,760 Speaker 1: of was an underdog. I love him, all right. Do 509 00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:06,760 Speaker 1: you also have some listener mail? I do. I have 510 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:09,800 Speaker 1: two pieces. They are both related to our Crystal Palace podcast. 511 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: Uh and I mentioned them because they both mentioned something 512 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,440 Speaker 1: that we didn't touch on. And the first one is 513 00:30:16,480 --> 00:30:19,040 Speaker 1: from our listener Laura, and she says, high, ladies, I 514 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: love it when you do British podcasts. I'm a britt 515 00:30:21,160 --> 00:30:23,240 Speaker 1: living in South Korea and it's lovely to hear about 516 00:30:23,280 --> 00:30:26,600 Speaker 1: things from home. I wonder why you left out the 517 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:29,160 Speaker 1: Crystal Palace Football Club, which is soccer? Do you guys? 518 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,160 Speaker 1: She says in your Crystal Palace podcast, it's a really 519 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:34,600 Speaker 1: interesting part of the history of the place and something 520 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:37,080 Speaker 1: that keeps the name of the building alive today. If 521 00:30:37,120 --> 00:30:39,520 Speaker 1: you talk about Crystal Palace anywhere in Britain, I bet 522 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,760 Speaker 1: that it's the football club people will associate with it 523 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:45,120 Speaker 1: rather than the original building. Uh. And I know that 524 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,320 Speaker 1: the park did host the football club and championship games 525 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: there for two decades, I think, but I kind of 526 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:55,080 Speaker 1: left it out because it seems like a big, huge 527 00:30:55,120 --> 00:31:00,920 Speaker 1: thing on its own and in terms of the actual building, uh, 528 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: not so much. But I probably should have mentioned it 529 00:31:03,320 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: at some point. Now. We had the same basic response 530 00:31:06,240 --> 00:31:10,440 Speaker 1: to both of these emails, which was I'm guessing which 531 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:14,000 Speaker 1: one you're reading next, actually, which is that that we 532 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 1: were mostly talking about the history of the building and 533 00:31:15,680 --> 00:31:17,680 Speaker 1: there are so many other things that went on in 534 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:21,440 Speaker 1: the park and the grounds that that would be eighteen 535 00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:24,560 Speaker 1: other episodes. Yeah, I mean, the football club is big, 536 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:28,240 Speaker 1: and I'll admit my knowledge of football in Great Britain 537 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:32,360 Speaker 1: is not so vast. My knowledge of football anywhere is 538 00:31:32,360 --> 00:31:37,080 Speaker 1: is non existent. Any football, whether it's football or soccer, 539 00:31:37,200 --> 00:31:40,880 Speaker 1: that would be a good podcast to do in the future. Interesting, uh, 540 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 1: sporting things that are kind of outside our regular knowledge. 541 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:46,760 Speaker 1: And our second one comes from our listener Richard, and 542 00:31:46,760 --> 00:31:48,400 Speaker 1: he says, I can't thank you enough for the Crystal 543 00:31:48,400 --> 00:31:51,480 Speaker 1: Palace podcast. It brought back warm memories of when I 544 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,000 Speaker 1: was a child going for my swimming lessons at the 545 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,600 Speaker 1: neighboring Olympic pool. I remember visiting the Dinosaur Park and 546 00:31:57,640 --> 00:32:00,920 Speaker 1: seeing the Crystal Palace site every Saturday more, even though 547 00:32:00,920 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: it was just grass and some decorative stone fencing and steps. 548 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: I even remember the train station architecture was a poor 549 00:32:07,200 --> 00:32:11,000 Speaker 1: representation on the outside of the great glass structure. I 550 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,360 Speaker 1: also remember walking past the huge concrete head of Joseph Paxton, 551 00:32:14,400 --> 00:32:16,320 Speaker 1: which is on display with a pack to honor the 552 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,760 Speaker 1: site's history, and becoming very scared along with my sister. 553 00:32:20,280 --> 00:32:23,040 Speaker 1: Paxton's concrete head was pretty daunting when you're only half 554 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,520 Speaker 1: its size. I have a lot of affiliation with Crystal Palace. 555 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:28,920 Speaker 1: My grandfather was a member of the football club, my 556 00:32:28,960 --> 00:32:31,560 Speaker 1: father was a steward in the seventies, and even though 557 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:34,280 Speaker 1: I live in Melbourne, Australia, I still have fond memories 558 00:32:34,320 --> 00:32:37,920 Speaker 1: of growing up with this historic area so cool. I 559 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:42,520 Speaker 1: totally guessed wrongly which other crystal I thought, yeah, we 560 00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:45,880 Speaker 1: got another one. That was you all didn't discuss, and 561 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 1: I don't remember what it was, but there were yet 562 00:32:48,320 --> 00:32:50,280 Speaker 1: so many other things that went on in the building 563 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:52,640 Speaker 1: and in the grounds, and oh yeah, it was the 564 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:55,520 Speaker 1: the taxidermy at the expo. R didn't mentioned because that 565 00:32:55,560 --> 00:32:58,400 Speaker 1: pertained to you. An older podcast about Walter Potter, who 566 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,040 Speaker 1: first got inspired into Texted or Me just before I 567 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:05,840 Speaker 1: joined the podcast after seeing an exhibit at the Great Expo, 568 00:33:05,920 --> 00:33:07,760 Speaker 1: and I didn't go into text or Me either, even 569 00:33:07,760 --> 00:33:10,240 Speaker 1: though I love it. But that was one of those 570 00:33:10,640 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 1: they're winding paths that you choose not to walk down 571 00:33:13,600 --> 00:33:16,440 Speaker 1: because you know you will get wildly derailed and maybe 572 00:33:16,480 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: not stay on topic. Well, and you and I have 573 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:22,240 Speaker 1: both had some some research rabbit holes of late. Yes, 574 00:33:22,400 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: it's easy to do, you know, you find one interesting thing. 575 00:33:25,040 --> 00:33:27,320 Speaker 1: What often happens to me is I'll be researching a 576 00:33:27,400 --> 00:33:31,400 Speaker 1: topic and I find one other person or item that's mentioned, 577 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:33,080 Speaker 1: and then I'm like, I really want to look that up, 578 00:33:33,120 --> 00:33:36,240 Speaker 1: but make sure I'm understanding their place in this bigger story. 579 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:39,120 Speaker 1: And then something cool there leads me way down a 580 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,920 Speaker 1: path that is no longer really relevant, but I just 581 00:33:42,000 --> 00:33:46,080 Speaker 1: want to read some more about it. Anyway, it happened uh. 582 00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 1: If you would like to write us, you can do 583 00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:51,880 Speaker 1: so at History Podcast at Discovery dot com. If you 584 00:33:52,080 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: would like to connect with us on Twitter, you can 585 00:33:54,200 --> 00:33:57,400 Speaker 1: at mist in history or on Facebook dot com slash 586 00:33:57,480 --> 00:33:59,920 Speaker 1: History class stuff. And you can visit us on tom 587 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,600 Speaker 1: or at missed in history dot tumbler dot com. And 588 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,760 Speaker 1: you can check out what we've been penning on Pinterest. 589 00:34:05,240 --> 00:34:06,880 Speaker 1: If you want to learn a little bit more about 590 00:34:06,880 --> 00:34:09,719 Speaker 1: what we talked about today, you can go to our 591 00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:12,839 Speaker 1: website and actually type in the words Barnsworth and one 592 00:34:13,000 --> 00:34:15,480 Speaker 1: of the articles you will see is the top ten 593 00:34:15,560 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: technological Innovations in TV Broadcasting, and one of those items 594 00:34:19,480 --> 00:34:23,359 Speaker 1: is about Farnsworth's work with a great picture of him. Uh. 595 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:25,480 Speaker 1: And if you would like to learn almost anything else 596 00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:27,400 Speaker 1: that your mind can think about, you can do that 597 00:34:27,440 --> 00:34:29,279 Speaker 1: at our website, which is a house to works dot 598 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: com for more on this and thousands of other topics 599 00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:48,879 Speaker 1: because it has to Works dot com. Audible dot com 600 00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: is the leading provider of downloadable digital audiobooks and spoken 601 00:34:52,400 --> 00:34:56,040 Speaker 1: word entertainment. Audible has more than one thousand titles to 602 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: choose from to be download into your iPod or MP 603 00:34:58,840 --> 00:35:02,600 Speaker 1: three player. 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