Lee de Forest

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"."De Forest—Father of Radio" by Hugo Gernsback, Radio-Craft, January 1947, p. 17. In his lifetime, he had created over 300 inventions.

Early Life
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.

The Audion
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. 

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.

Radio and Television
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.

References

Other websites

 Lee de Forest, American Inventor (leedeforest.com)

 Lee de Forest biography (ethw.org)
 Lee de Forest biography at National Inventors Hall of Fame

 "Who said Lee de Forest was the 'Father of Radio'?" by Stephen Greene, Mass Comm Review, February 1991.
 "Practical Pointers on the Audion" by A. B. Cole, Sales Manager – De Forest Radio Tel. & Tel. Co., QST, March 1916, pp. 41–44. (wikisource.org)
 "A History of the Regeneration Circuit: From Invention to Patent Litigation" by Sungook Hong, Seoul National University (PDF)
 "De Forest Phonofilm Co. Inc. on White House grounds" (1924) (shorpy.com)
 Guide to the Lee De Forest Papers 1902–1953 at the University of Chicago Special Collections Research Center

Category:1873 births
Category:1961 deaths
Category:American inventors