Philo Farnsworth

Philo T. Farnsworth
Farnsworth in 1936
Born
Philo Taylor Farnsworth

(1906-08-19)August 19, 1906
Died(1971-03-11)March 11, 1971 (aged 64)
Resting placeProvo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah, U.S.
OccupationScientist
Employers
Known forInventor of the first fully electronic television; over 169 United States and foreign patents
SpouseElma "Pem" Gardner (1908–2006)
Children4 sons
RelativesAgnes Ann Farnsworth (sister)

Philo Taylor Farnsworth (August 19, 1906 – March 11, 1971), "The father of television", was the American inventor and pioneer who was granted the first patent for the television by the United States Government.

He also invented a video camera tube, and the image dissector. He commercially produced and sold a fully functioning television system, complete with receiver and camera—which he produced commercially through the Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation from 1938 to 1951, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

In later life, Farnsworth invented a small nuclear fusion device, the Farnsworth Fusor, employing inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC). Like many fusion devices, it was not a practical device for generating nuclear power, although it provides a viable source of neutrons. The design of this device has been the inspiration for other fusion approaches, including the Polywell reactor concept. Farnsworth held 300 patents, mostly in radio and television.