In 1927, Philo Farnsworth made history by transmitting an image of a straight line through the air. By 1929, he had perfected his design and transmitted a picture of his wife—an exciting milestone, even if the image was a bit blurry. Though Farnsworth called it an “image dissector,” he had, in reality, invented television.
But why did John Logie Baird receive the credit? Baird was also a pioneer in television and had a keen business sense, famously demonstrating the first color television in 1928. Farnsworth, however, turned down offers to sell his patents and started his own company. Unfortunately, he couldn’t compete with the larger companies that entered the market, and his business eventually folded.
Despite continuing to invent until his death in 1971, Philo Farnsworth never created anything as impactful as television.
