Sep
07
Posted on 09-07-2007 at 03:15pm
It Was EIGHTY Years Ago TODAY…
Filed Under (Technology, Television, Science, History, Arts & Culture, Entertainment) by The Perfesser on 09-07-2007

Philo T. Farnsworth, no doubt tuning in The Daily Show… that Philo T. Farnsworth taught the world how to play….television.Yes, kids, it’s true. So, before we all settle back this evening in front of our wide-screen, High Definition, flat-panel video display to watch the latest in blockbusting home entertainment — or before we cozy up to our computers to witness the world’s latest hi-jinks via YouTube — it might be instructive to remember how it all began.

In a makeshift laboratory in San Francisco, on September 7, 1927, a young genius named Philo T. Farnsworth transmitted the image of a simple straight line from the bottom of one empty bottle to the bottom of another. That was the beginning of ALL the video now before us — including whatever computer screen you are looking at now.

To get a sense of how far it has all come, check out this video of the actual breakthrough, as it was recreated for the 50th Anniversary of that event in 1977.

And the rest of the story is here.

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Comments

MichaelnotMike on 7 September, 2007 at 3:52 pm #

And yet, somehow the name “Philo” has fallen out of fashion.


Jay on 7 September, 2007 at 4:29 pm #

MnM- Even after Clint Eastwood used that name in 2 classic movies.


MichaelnotMike on 7 September, 2007 at 4:42 pm #

Due to my abject cultural ignorance, I had to Google the reference to come up with Any which Way You Can and Every which Way but Loose. Yep, even Clint couldn’t make it popular.

Maybe I’ll get a fish and name it Philo.


Tennessee Mom on 7 September, 2007 at 4:46 pm #

I think its amazing how you can transmit sound and pictures from one place to another. Now if someone could figure out how to get the sound and images from our brains to a screen… wouldn’t that open up possibilites!


The Perfesser on 7 September, 2007 at 4:52 pm #

Was “Philo” the the orangutan’s name?

And: I think it’s amazing that we can transmit sound and pictures and a) we are still killing each other over interpretations of the after-life and b) the state of the art is “American Idol.”


Jay on 7 September, 2007 at 4:58 pm #

Philo was Clint’s name.
Clyde was the orangutan’s name.