Lee de Forest | |
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Born | Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S. | August 26, 1873
Died | June 30, 1961 Hollywood, California, U.S. | (aged 87)
Alma mater | Yale College (Sheffield Scientific School) |
Occupation | Inventor |
Known for | Three-electrode vacuum-tube (Audion), sound-on-film recording (Phonofilm) |
Spouses | Lucille Sheardown
(m. 1906; div. 1906)Nora Stanton Blatch Barney
(m. 1908; div. 1911)Mary Mayo
(m. 1912; div. 1923)Marie Mosquini (m. 1930) |
Relatives | Calvert DeForest (grandnephew) |
Awards | IEEE Medal of Honor (1922) Elliott Cresson Medal (1923) IEEE Edison Medal (1946) |
Lee de Forest (1873-1961) was an American inventor. His inventions helped to create radio and television. He is sometimes described as the "Father of Radio".[1] In his lifetime, he had created over 300 inventions.
He was born in 1873 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. His father was a minister. He Studied at Yale University. He studied science and got a Ph.D. in 1899.
In 1906, He invented a device called the Audion. It was a vacuum tube that could boost weak electrical signals. It was critical for making radio and television to function properly. It contained three parts: a filament, a plate, and a grid.[2]
The filament heated up and produced electrons. The plate collected electrons. The grid in the center controlled the flow of electrons. It allowed the Audion to amplify signals. Audion was included in radios, televisions, and early computers. It helped make these inventions more practical and popular.
He used Audion to create some of the early radio broadcasts. In 1907, he broadcast music on the radio in New York City. He also broadcast from the Metropolitan Opera House.