Page 164 - Inventions - A Visual Encyclopedia (DK - Smithsonian)
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Television






          Several different people were working on the invention of
          the television at around the same time. John Logie Baird                             WOW!

          developed a mechanical system for the BBC, an important
          British broadcaster, in 1923. In the US, Philo Farnsworth                      ever broadcast in public
                                                                                            The first TV images
          demonstrated an electronic television in 1934. However,
      COMMUNICATION  it was Russians Isaac Shoenberg and Vladimir Zworykin                ventriloquist’s dummy
                                                                                         were of a scary-looking

                                                                                            called Stookie Bill
          who created the electronic television we know today.
                                                                                                  in 1926.



                                                                CATHODE RAY TUBE
                                                     The first important step was the invention        Glass tube
                                                                                                    with phosphor
                                                       of the cathode ray tube (CRT). The first    screen at the end
                                                    was built by the German Ferdinand Braun
                                                   in 1897. It fired electrons down a glass tube
                                                   at a phosphor screen, which lit up.
               EARLY BROADCASTING                  Controlling which bits of phosphor
                                                             lit up created a picture.
           Although there were earlier broadcasts,
           including the 1936 Olympic Games in
           Berlin, the BBC service that started on
           November 2, 1936 is regarded as the   SPINNING DISK TELEVISION                Cathode that sends out
           world’s first regular public TV broadcast.   Scottish engineer John Logie Baird used a   electrons when heated
                                              rotating disk to sweep a spotlight over the
                                              subject to be televised, with a matching disk in the
                                              receiver. He gave public demonstrations in 1926.
                                                     However, the pictures produced by this
          Baird Televisor                                mechanical system were not as good
          made in 1929
                                                             as those made using electronics.









                                                                                             REMOTE CONTROL
                                                                                             The American Zenith Radio
                                                                                    Corporation created the first television
                                                                                      remote control in 1950, called “Lazy
                                                                                          Bones” (above). It could turn a
                                                                                        television on and off, and change
                                                                                          channels. It was attached to the
                                                                                    television by a cable. The first wireless
                                                                                        remote control appeared in 1955.
                     Case containing            A small screen displays
                    the rotating disk.             the moving images.
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   US_162-163_308121_Television_main.indd   162                                                                  08/03/2018   17:17
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