Everyone probably heard in childhood a tale of a golden apple, which rolled in a circle of a silver saucer and showed what was going on far, in another kingdom. This suggests that people in ancient times thought about the idea of transmitting dynamic images over long distances. However, mankind succeeded in implementing this idea only in the 19th century.
TV was invented by more than one person. Many scientists worked on its creation, and in different parts of the world. Discoveries alternated with each other. However, the lack of powerful means of communication, such as our Internet, did not allow scientists to keep abreast of the achievements of science. It even happened that two scientists on different continents could come to the same discovery or invention. In this article, we will talk about those individuals who are considered pioneers in creating receivers that transmit pictures and sound. By the way, the answer to the question of which year the first TV was invented also cannot be unequivocal. After all, scientists went to this for a long time and in small steps, and each of them contributed to this matter.
Important discoveries contributing to the creation of a TV
In the second half of the 19th century, the famous physicist Huygens discovered the theory of light waves, and Maxwell practically in the same period proved the presence of electromagnetic waves. After this, Smith discovered the ability to change electrical resistance. Russian scientists did not lag behind the West, and at the same time, Alexander Stoletov discovered and then demonstrated the influence of light on electricity. He is the author of the "electric eye", which, in essence, was a likeness of the current photocells.
Another important discovery was the discovery of the photoelectric effect - the influence of light on the chemical composition of elements. Further, everything was even more interesting: people learned that the image can be seen using electromagnetic waves, while this picture can be transmitted at a distance.
TV prototypes
The history of such amazing receivers that transmitted not only sound (before that the radio had already been invented), but also the image, originates from the so-called Nipkov disk, which scanned the picture line by line. This miracle of technology in 1884 was created by the German scientist Paul Nipkov. However, answering the question of who invented the first television in the world, it is unlikely that anyone will remember this particular name.
Following him in 1895, another German physicist named Brown created a primitive picture tube. Surely many have heard of the “Brown Tube”, but did not know that this was the very first tube in the world. That is why this scientist is also not mistaken for the one who invented the very first television. However, it must be recognized that their role in the creation of this device is invaluable.
Brown Tube
Initially, the author of this device did not consider his creation something significant and did not even patent it. The primitive receiver had the following parameters: screen height - 3 cm, width - also 3 cm, frame rate - 10 pcs / sec. Carl Brown showed it to people after 11 years, because before that he considered his creation unsuccessful. That's why he is not considered the first scientist who invented television.
XX century: the creation of a mechanical TV
John Logie Byrd or Baird (the name is spelled differently in different sources) - a British engineer - went even further than his predecessors, in the mid-20s of the last century, using the same disk, Nipkova invented a mechanical television set. True, he initially worked silently, but, to his credit, he gave a fairly clear picture obtained through its decomposition into elements. True, the exact date when John Baird invented television is difficult to name today, but already in the 30s of the 20th century they began to be produced for mass use. At the same time, Baird was in a very favorable position, because it had no competitors at all.
About the inventor
In this chapter, we will talk about John Logie Baird, the scientist who invented television. He was born in the Scottish county of Durbantonshire in August 1888. From childhood, he was interested in electricity, its properties and devices. After school, he entered the Technical College of Western Scotland for a course in electromechanics. However, the First World War began, and he had to interrupt his studies. But even after peace was established, Baird did not return to study, but decided to independently study electromechanics.
Of course, he was not the first and not the only one who was interested in the process of transmitting pictures from a distance, but today most people call his name when it comes to those who invented television. In Glasgow, Baird made several imperfect attempts to assemble a television, but then moved to the south coast of England, to the city of Hastings, where he finally managed to assemble working models of television sets.
What did John Baird assemble the first TV from?
According to history, the British scientist and mechanic created the earliest model of a television receiver using ordinary objects such as bicycle lenses, darn needles, a tea and hat box, the most common metal scissors, as well as wax and glue. He first publicly spoke about his model in 1924 on the Radio Times. However, he himself understood the imperfection of his invention, which was only able to reproduce silhouettes in motion. He managed to improve his TV in the capital. Thanks to some improvements, he achieved the clarity of the lines. For about three weeks, Baird showed everyone his unique invention. Thousands of curious people came to his laboratory, he told them how this device works. That was in 1925. That is why, when asked about the year the television was invented, many call this date.
The first TVs and media
Baird’s invention soon became interested in the British media. He was invited to the newspaper Daily Express. And on January 26, 1926, a scientist in the presence of eminent members of the Royal Institute, as well as the popular journalist The Times, first demonstrated and explained how this device works. The broadcast speed was 12.5 frames per second. In 1927, an ambitious mechanic, wanting to surpass the record set by AT&T Bell Labs (362 m), used a 705-meter cable to transmit a television program. On July 3, 1928, Baird showed a full-color image transmission, as well as the first of its kind stereoscopic transmission.
Baird Television Development Company Ltd
This company was created by Baird in the same 1928, and here they began to produce televisions for mass use, so some Britons, when asked about the year in which they invented television in their country, answer: in 1928, that is, they name the date of creation of this company. She was involved in the transfer of television programs between England and the United States (New York), and also began to collaborate with the BBC, and British viewers began to watch the programs of this company with a scan of 30 x 210 lines. In 1929, John Baird, teamed up with Bernard Nathan, began working on the creation of a television company in France. Thus, the French already in 1931 got hold of their own television.
Evolution
In parallel with the creation of television companies, the scientist was engaged in improving the TV, as well as developing large screens for cinemas, the size of which thanks to him grew from 150 × 60 cm to 4 m 60 cm × 3 m 70 cm. Gradually, Baird began to create semi-mechanical TVs and received patents for electronic beam tubes and rotating color filters, and in 1941 he was already close to creating a full-fledged 3D television with a scan of 500 lines. By the end of World War II, he introduced a system with a scan of 1000 lines. But his proposal was rejected by the government because of fears of high financial costs, which was incompatible for the British economy of the post-war period. For several decades, until the introduction of the PAL system (625 lines), the country continued to use very modest standards with a scan of 405 lines.
Who invented the electronic TV?
It is believed that the first electronic television set was developed by the Russian physicist Boris Rozin. As early as the beginning of the 20th century, he inserted a cathode ray tube into the receiving apparatus and received a picture of geometric figures, and then points. The beam scan in the tube created by him took place by means of magnetic fields, and the brightness was regulated by a capacitor. Despite the fact that his work was further continued by another Russian engineer, V. Zvorykin, Rozina, it is nevertheless considered to be the scientist who invented the television with an electronic tube. After the revolutionary events, he was forced to leave Russia and left for the States. In 1923, the scientist patented his unique invention - a new type of television, which fully operated using electronic technology.
Who invented color television?
Attempts to transmit color images from a distance were made even when mechanical television sets were in use. Many scientists around the world were engaged in this, however, the Armenian scientist Hovhannes Adamyan was the first to present his developments to the scientific community. By the way, back in 1908 it was he in Germany who patented a two-color device for transmitting signals. He was born in the family of an Armenian merchant-oilman in Baku in 1879. Here he graduated from high school, and then entered the University of Baku, after which he studied in Zurich, Berlin. At the end of 1913 he moved to St. Petersburg and created his own laboratory, and in 1925 Adamyan received a three-color image on a TV screen, which he called the Armenian word “erates” (“far-sighted”).
In the summer of 1930, Adamyan again surprised the world and received the first photo-radiogram between Leningrad and Moscow through his system. He became the first among scientific engineers who, in the color television technique, practically carried out the reception and sequential transmission of color fields, based on the optical-mechanical image scanning system.
Nevertheless, in the West, it’s not Adamyan who is considered the inventor of color television, but John Loughy Brad, though he only assembled a device in 1928 that consistently transmits 3 images using red, blue and green filters.
The boom of color television
After the Second World War, a real breakthrough occurred in the evolutionary development of color television broadcasting. The United States lost the opportunity to earn by fulfilling defense orders. It was then that TVs were invented, which were able to use decimeter waves to transmit color images. In the Soviet Union, only in 1951 did viewers see the first test broadcast.