They didn't figure anybody with that kind of background could possibly do the kinds of things that he did. Sarnoff, however, had all of the resources of RCA behind him, and he could do what he wanted with them. It took Farnworth's wife, now 92, to set the record straight. She has written a biography about him called Distant Vision, and she has devoted her life to making sure her husband receives the proper credit. But even now, with a wave of new recognition for Philo Farnsworth, some historians balk at the idea that one man made the machine.
Television is comprised of many inventions or related technologies.
I would say David Sarnoff should be credited because of his ability to get it commercially deployed. He died in 1971 in his home in Holladay from complications from a perforated ulcer. At his death, he held 300 domestic and foreign patents. Though the Farnsworths were comfortable financially, they never got rich from television because RCA eventually bought up his expired patents. Furthermore, Philo Farnsworth hated what he wrought.